The Cigarette Duet
by Felicity Dream
Summary: Wade had come to know the Oasis as a haven for most of her life. Life outside it was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. After living with her aunt and her sleazy boyfriend, she was okay if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento. That was just her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up in her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI. Fem!Wade.
1. Not Much of a Chance

Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.  
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.  
Set as an AU genderbending fic.  
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.  
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

 **The Cigarette Duet  
** _Chapter One: Not Much of a Chance_

" _ **It's just a cigarette and it cannot be that bad~"**_

 _She stood there over her mother, eyes blank as she hummed the song and smiled emptily. The needle lay by her mother's hand while her mother's arm still had the rubber band tied around it. The ear buds were still in Loretta Watts' ears, blasting the song that was on repeat on the MP3 player she'd repaired and given to her mom last Christmas._

 _Wade had wanted her mother to smile._

" _ **Honey, don't you love me and you know it makes me sad?"**_

 _The authorities came. Her mother was taken away. The MP3 player was shoved into her hands, still playing that song. Then there was Aunt Alice. She was going to be staying with her now. People kept saying things to her, but she couldn't hear a thing._

 _Why was everything such a blur to Wade?_

" _ **It's just a cigarette, it'll soon be only ten~"  
**_ " _ **Honey, can't you trust me? When I want to stop, I can~"**_

" _You'll be moving into the Stacks with me, Wade," Aunt Alice told her with a frown. "You need to listen and don't act up, you understand me?"_

" _Yes, Aunt Alice."_

 _Her fingers were pale from clutching onto the MP3 player so tightly. It was still playing the same song and hadn't turned off yet. She put down the volume though, since Aunt Alice had yelled at her for it several days ago._

" _Don't be useless like your mother," Aunt Alice snapped at her. "God forbid you turn out to be a drug-obsessed slut like her. Go to your room!"_

" _ **It's just a cigarette and I only did it once  
**_ _ **(It's just a cigarette; it'll soon be only ten)  
**_ _ **It's only twice a week so there's not much of a chance  
**_ _ **(It'll make you sick, girl; there's not much of a chance)  
**_ _ **It's just a cigarette and I'm sorry that I did it  
**_ _ **(It's just a cigarette; you'll be sorry that you did it)  
**_ _ **Honey, can't you trust me? When I want to stop, I can~"**_

 _Wade told her mother not to use drugs anymore. Loretta had promised her it was fine and she'd stop._

 _Everyone was liars though._

Wade woke up from the dream of a memory, grumbling under her breath as she slowly rose up in her bed. The abused mattress creaked under her weight, but held steady while she got off of it. Yawning to herself, she sleepily made her way to the bathroom and took care of herself. Afterwards, she ate a cereal as she watched the sun creep into view outside. Before the other occupants of the trailer woke up, Wade made her way out of there and quietly slipped down the stairs leading down the Stacks and reached the ground in record time. She could make it to her secret spot before the sun fully rose.

In fact, by the time it was fully in the sky and morning was a thing for people, Wade had already set up in her secret spot and had accessed the OASIS. It was early enough she could run around and do whatever she wanted for the morning before school started, and she thought of maybe giving a visit to her best friend. Hopefully Aech was already up.

Making her way to Aech's workshop, she grinned and called out to the tall male avatar that was currently walking around the Iron Giant that was being tinkered with.

"Morning, Aech!"

The handsome man turned around and gave his signature grin when he saw Wade coming closer.

"Yo, Z! What's up, gurl?"

Wade laughed and jogged the rest of the way, giving the other a tight hug. "Bored. Trying to waste time before I have to get to work."

She was still a high school student, but there was no need for her to advertise that fact.

"Cool with me —want to help me get this part on 'im? Pretty soon, my Iron Giant will be 100% complete!"

"That's awesome!"

Wade was glad she'd gone there and seen Aech. He was always good at sensing her mood and distracting her or trying to make her feel better.

She felt infinitely better. Really.

* * *

When time ran up on her, Wade found herself on Ludus and entering her high school, ignoring everyone around her (Todd13 was such an _asshole_ ) and trying to pay attention to History. Mr. Avenovich was so boring though. At least, on the interface she was using, she was able to pretend to read the history text like everyone else was faking, and actually just surf around the web.

Still, computers within the virtual world of OASIS; it was a little funny and Inception-like. She inwardly laughed in her head. Maybe she was just being a doofus.

Her smile faltered and she tried not to let her mind wander and start spiraling down. Why she'd have to have that dream that morning…

Looking into an old-school chat since she was stuck in the classroom, Wade idly looked around until she entered a random chat. There was one person in it and Wade hesitantly messaged them.

 _Wade3: Wondering if you knew how to kill a 3k pound animal name Boredom?_

 _Lacero: Depends. Can I mount it on my wall and take a picture, or will PETA come after me?_

Wade stifled an unexpected laugh, looking discreetly up at her teacher's avatar. Seeing that he wasn't looking at her or paying her any attention, she turned back to the small messaging window on her interface.

 _Wade3: It's not an endangered species and everyone pretty much hates it._

 _Lacero: Good. I wouldn't mind murdering it at all._

Before she knew it though, she was extensively chatting with this person (Guy? Girl? Genderfluid? She just met them, but she didn't want to ask so quickly.) and found herself enjoying the conversation. It was so good that her entire class went by and Mr. Avenovich had already teleported out and was switched with Mr. Ciders for Advanced OASIS Studies. To be honest, though Wade really liked this class and loved getting into all the technological parts especially, she found that she was just really happy and into this talk with Lacero. Her mood from that morning was practically gone and she barely even remembered her dream right then.

She couldn't find herself pulling away from the chat anytime soon.

* * *

 _Nolan Sorrento_

He signed his name with a flourish, glancing back at the chat window on his interface and feeling his lips pulling up slightly. He straightened it out when he heard a noise and glanced up at his doors, relaxing only when he saw that they were still shut.

 _Wade3: If you had a room full of old people bugging you, put on reruns of Gilligan's Island and I Love Genie. Maybe they'll fall asleep._

Seeing the reply made him bark out a laugh.

 _Or distract them. Something other than nag my ears off._

He typed that out quickly before reaching for another piece of paper he had to read up on.

It had been a whim, really. He had been stuck in a board meeting earlier and was getting bored and irritated with it and everyone around him. So, pretending he was working and taking notes, he'd pulled up his interface and (given his location and surroundings) had to be more discreet and use a more old-school chatroom. And it was in hesitant surprise that his whimsy choice had him use his old username.

Lacero. It had been so long since he'd logged on as that username. It was…before he became part of IOI actually…

And then somehow, when surprise had again caught him by some random stranger messaging him, he was curiously responding back. It wasn't like anyone knew his old username, so this Wade3 wouldn't know that Lacero was actually _the_ Nolan Sorrento. But then he was treated to a very quirky, amusing conversation with a very witty companion, and before he knew it the board meeting was practically over. Even to now, he wasn't stopping the conversation and was continuing it while he was working on his paperwork.

 _Wade3: Don't answer if you don't want to…but are you a guy or a girl?_

Nolan blinked as he looked at the question, debating with himself. He supposed it wouldn't matter much if he told the truth.

 _I'm male._

He thought about it himself and then began typing out the same question, curious as to the answer. He wouldn't know if they were telling the truth, but at least he'd get some information about the person he was talking to.

 _Wade3: Girl._

Then there was the message that showed she was typing again and he waited to see what else she had to say.

 _Wade3: I've got to go now. There's somewhere I have to be._

He frowned to himself. Did he scare her off?

 _Wade3: Um…Will you be on tomorrow? I'd like to talk to you again._

Pleased that his previous thoughts weren't the case and that she'd wanted to talk to him again, he sent an affirmative back to her before noticing her logging off. He put away the paper he'd been working on, glancing at the time. His frown returned.

Uneasily, he glanced at her username and then looked at the time again. It wasn't confirmed or anything and he was just guessing, but…he might've just spent several hours conversing with a high school student.

Shit.

It made sense though. Looking at the timeframe, that was how long the schools at the OASIS went on for. The current time, the time that she'd told him she'd had to go and log off the chat? The exact time when school ended and why she'd have to urgently get off, since school ending meant she had to get off her assigned computer and leave school. And it was no secret that the schools had the students use a different username from their usual, specifically formed by using their first name and the number of students with the same name (theirs being what number they were in that group).

Wade3. The third person in that school with the name Wade.

He didn't know what to think of the fact he'd enjoyed having such a long conversation with a minor, probably years younger than him. It also made him extremely uneasy, but at the same time he told himself it wasn't like he had done anything wrong. They had just been talking and their conversation had been innocent enough.

So really, he had nothing to worry about.

* * *

Wade hurriedly rushed out of school, not taking any time in getting off of Ludus. She was tempted to hunt down Aech, but she always had trouble getting a hold of him at this time of the day. She could always try later and in the meantime she could head home and eat.

She was reluctant to though. Being home meant being around Aunt Alice and her current boyfriend Rick. She didn't want to be around them.

She really wished she hadn't stopped talking to Lacero. She'd been having such a good time. But school had ended and she couldn't be caught talking in chatrooms during school hours, and she also knew that she wouldn't be allowed the use of the computer after school hours. As soon as school ended, she had no choice but to stop talking to him and get out of there.

Wade wondered what he looked like. She wondered whether he enjoyed the conversation as much as she did, and if he hadn't minded that she'd randomly contacted him. She kind of wished she could meet him in real life already, but then again she wasn't surprised at herself. She admitted she was lonely.

Logging out of the OASIS, Wade took a moment to look at the tiny mirror across from her, hung on the van's wall. She wasn't all that pretty in her opinion. Her face was still a bit round and had a little baby fat clinging to it, and her eyes were hidden by thick framed round glasses that exacerbated her nerdy look. She wore an oversized shirt that fell off of one shoulder, with no bra on her moderate breasts. She was really pale (sickly pale if you asked her), so much so that her skin was so white that she could joke that she hadn't seen sun in days. Technically, that was kind of true though…

Wade thought she looked kind of pathetic and beyond nerdy, and she wished that she could be able to look prettier and be more confident. But then her aunt had always said she was just a waste of space.

Not hurrying herself back to the Stacks, Wade just made herself trudge home at a slow pace, aware that time was dwindling by and it would be dark soon. That area was bad enough in the daytime, but nighttime was worse. Even if she didn't want to be home, being caught wandering around these parts wasn't ideal either.

Soon enough, she caught sight of the stacked trailers and made her way up the stairs to where her trailer was, slipping inside quietly. Maybe if she was quiet enough, she could go to her room and not be bothered.

"Oh, look who's home," Rick sneered and Wade tensed. "Where've you been?"

She faced Alice's boyfriend, the greasy-haired man lounging on the couch with a beer can in hand.

"School," she mumbled, ducking her head and staring at the ground.

"You didn't make anything for us to eat," Rick snapped at her. "You should've made eggs or something."

"I just ate cereal," she continued to mumble. "I was in a hurry."

Rick stood up and she flinched. "You get fed, clothed, cleaned in this place, and you can' t goddamn do anything for us?"

"Useless, like her mother," her aunt said, appearing into the room then and Wade looked up. She glared at Wade. "You never do your part," Alice seethed. "You stay here, just mooching off of me! I should've never taken you in!"

Wade felt tears prick her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Do me a favor and get back into the OASIS. Be an escort like your mother and earn us some money," Alice said angrily. "You're not pretty, but you can spread your legs and that's all men care about. Get out of here!"

Wade breathed in shakily, but she fought hard not to cry in front of them. She turned around and ran back out of the trailer, not looking back as she kept going.

For the longest time, this was all she could remember. Aunt Alice was always irritable or just downright angry with her. She hadn't wanted to take Wade in —and yet if she did, she got more food vouchers.

That was what Wade was worth. Food vouchers.

Her father, as she'd been told, had been killed by being shot to death, allegedly for trying to rob a store. Her mother had then taken cared of her, though care usually meant shoving her into the OASIS to be distracted and basically having the virtual world babysit her, while Loretta worked in the daytime in the OASIS as a telemarketer and then as a virtual escort at night. Wade's relationship with her mother had been complicated, but she could admit that she'd essentially been left to her own devices most of the time. And most of that time was spent in the OASIS.

All that time there had made Wade fascinated and in love with technology and she'd gotten pretty good with it.

The truth was that it had become a haven, more so as she found herself living with Aunt Alice and the string of oft-times abusive boyfriends her aunt had. Over time, Wade spent less and less time in her aunt's trailer, only staying there when she absolutely needed to. Most of the time, she stayed in her secret hiding spot and more often just staying in the OASIS.

And so, like always, Wade found her hiding place and scuttled onto the top of the van. Sitting there, she looked up at the sky and sighed to herself. Reaching down into her van, she grabbed the pack of cigarettes she hid in a compartment and then pulled one out. She stuck one between her lips and held it there with them, not actually lighting the cigarette up. She didn't actually smoke these, but for some reason she always ended up doing this.

After a few moments of staying in the cold, she stuck the cigarette back into the pack and went into her van, and then put on her school-issued OASIS gear. She logged on and appeared in the virtual world, looking around tiredly.

Should she look for Aech? No, she didn't want to bug him all the time. Alice always said she was too clingy and she didn't want to be. Maybe she should wander around? It wasn't like she'd been to everywhere in there. She could find something she hadn't done or been to before.

Before she knew it, she found her feet had kept going until she found herself in an unfamiliar area. It was a more dimmer lit place than the rest of the Oasis, the neon lights looking darker but more highlighted against the dark backdrop. There was a pulsing look to the lights and the atmosphere felt heavy. Plenty of people was around, just like everywhere else, but she noted that they were grouped and coupled up, and more intimate than other places she'd seen or been to.

Turning to her left, she tensed up and inwardly balked. There was the building for virtual escorts and she vaguely remember seeing her mother off to here a few times.

" _Do me a favor and get back into the OASIS. Be an escort like your mother and earn us some money!"_

Wade sucked in a deep breath and looked the place over, biting her lip.

" _You're not pretty, but you can spread your legs and that's all men care about. Get out of here!"_

She _wasn't_ all that pretty. She tried her best to stay out of her aunt's way, to stay in her secret hiding spot for as long as she could. But it had only been recently when she could stay there as much as possible, and before that she'd had to suffer staying in her aunt's trailer with her and her many abusive boyfriends. She couldn't leave there completely, not until she was 18. And until then, she had to stick to her aunt as much as possible.

But she was still her aunt at the same time and a huge part of Wade still cared for her and thought of her as a close relative…someone who she really wanted to care for her, even if a little bit…

"Lost?"

Blinking, she faced the person who had spoken and nearly gaped. Instead, her eyes widened as she stared at the known avatar of Nolan Sorrento, newly made CEO of IOI. He'd become known first as the Head of IOI's Oology Division and Head of Operations, before becoming the CEO just last year. It felt surreal to have him stand right in front of her, just a few inches away.

He gave her a slight smirk, hand casually stuffed into a pocket while the other held a lit cigarette that dwindled while its ashes fell to the floor. Looking like Alex Ross' version of Superman, Wade was thrown off by the contradictory image of the ultra-good superhero.

"Not really," Wade said, trying her best not to sound quiet and timid in front of him.

He full out smirked then, gesturing to a place behind him.

"Alright —care to have drinks with me then?" he invited her, dropping his cigarette and stepping on it. She followed the movement, glancing down at his foot before looking back at him.

"Okay," she said, sounding braver than she actually felt, and took his hand when he offered it.

She didn't know what she was doing.

* * *

The bar they entered was nice, dark and lit up with more neon lights that continued to glow brightly against the darkness. He showed her to the bar and they sat down, with Wade willing herself not to fidget and to look like she belonged. She was 17 and not allowed in these areas still, but in the Oasis, they didn't check as hard as they would've in the real world.

"What will you have?" Sorrento asked, looking at her curiously.

She kept herself still. "I'm not much of a drinker," she explained, figuring it would be a good excuse. Maybe she should just run away now…

His slight smirk returned again and he hailed over the bartender. "A Cotton Candy Cosmos and a Whiskey Sour," he ordered and she watched as the bartender started to pour some stuff into a glass, put a shaker on it, and shook the ingredients. He then took a martini glass, put a strip of winded up cotton candy in it, before pouring the mixture into it. She watched in fascination as the cotton candy inside the glass sort of melt and mix into the liquid. The rim was garnished with another piece of cotton candy.

Sorrento accepted the drink and gave it to her, and she took a sip as they waited for his drink. She licked her lips in surprise after, the sweetness of the drink sticking with her.

"You like it?" he asked as he got his own drink, watching her intently.

"It's sweet," she told him, surprise still coloring her tone and face. "I do actually like it," she admitted.

He leaned over then, moving slowly as he continued to eye her with darkened eyes. He fingered a strand of her avatar's silver-blue hair.

"I figured you'd be a sweet one," he said huskily and a blush unwittingly rose to her cheeks. He tugged at her hair lightly. "Let's go to have a little more privacy, hm?"

Sorrento got up first and after a moment she followed, carefully grabbing her drink and letting him lead the way to a more secluded place in the bar. Tucked away in a private booth, she slid into it first and he was quick to go in after her, sitting very close and eliminating much of the space between them. He swirled his Whiskey Sour, watching her amusedly.

"Am I intimidating you?" he asked.

"A bit," she admitted wryly, though she was inwardly panicking. This was a new situation that she was floundering with, not sure how to handle it. She wasn't actually…against any of this. But she also wasn't sure what to do or say, and was hoping that she wasn't going to make herself act as a fool or an idiot.

He barked out a quiet laugh. He sobered up pretty quickly though, reaching out to hold her chin, letting his thumb brush against her lips. His eyes hooded and he didn't mask the desire on his face at all, making Wade quite aware of what he was hoping to lead to.

"I hope that means that I'm not too scary to spend the night with," he said plainly.

In normal circumstances, her breathing would've sped up and she would long have gotten freaked out externally. But this time, she only stared back at him and —to her amazement —allowed her tongue to dart out and lick his thumb.

"Not too scary at all," she declared confidently and none of this was like her. She wasn't actually feeling confident, so she had no idea where any of this was coming from.

Sorrento grinned and leaned forward, and before she knew it, his lips had descended onto hers.

In the time between that first heady kiss to the two of them fumbling through a door to a room he'd ended up renting nearby, Wade didn't know where her mind had gone. All she knew was that he'd leaned down and kissed her, and his avatar's lips were plump and smooth, firmly pressing against hers and then easily prying her lips apart to have his tongue snake into her mouth. The way he'd managed to coax her tongue into sliding around his, under and over, pushing into each other…

This was her virtual body, but it was heating up almost as if it was her real one.

His hands had landed on her hips and he squeezed them meaningfully, pulling back to look into her face.

"Perhaps we should head out of here now," he murmured and she could only nod.

Cool and confident. It became like a mantra in her head and she didn't want to expose herself as being anything but the cool and confident woman he seemed attracted to and wanting at the moment.

So now in this room, his hands circled her breasts, cupping them and then squeezing. She whimpered and squirmed, and tried to touch him as well. Her hands quickly got rid of his armor, but explored his body outside of the avatar's suit outfit, feeling curves and hard ridges that she was able to see after removing the rest of his outfit. Maybe it would've been easier to simply use their interface commands to get rid of their clothes, but she found she liked being able to do it the harder way, exploring and touching as she went through every piece of clothing.

Sorrento's own hands had slipped to her leather pants, the avatar outfit firmly clinging to her lower half. He seemed to take it as a challenge, finally rolling it down and revealing her lower body.

"M-Mr. Sorrento!" slid out of her mouth.

"I believe my goal for the night will be to see how many times can I get you to call me that," he said smugly as he pulled away to look up at her.

"S-shut up, Mr. Sorrento," she said, face flushed and feeling embarrassed.

He licked his lips and looked up at her heatedly. "Say it again."

She firmly pressed her lips together and tried to ignore her red face.

He hmmed and then stood up, grabbing hold of her as he did. She let out an unexpected squeal at that, before she was dropped unto the bed and found her legs being spread as far as they could.

"Mr. Sorrento!" she cried out.

"Again!"

"M-M-Mr. S-Sorrento," she tossed her head back and writhed on the bed, losing all thoughts.

If stars exploded in her vision, she sure as hell wasn't going to be expressing it any time soon.

Wade didn't know if she was going to be able to say or think about anything.

Started 5/14/18 - Completed 5/20/18

 **A/N: I know, I know –new story XD But I really wanted to get into this one (and one SAO and one FMA coming up in the future) because it and this pair wouldn't stop bugging me. I'm really excited about this and I hope everyone are too! Now sure how well it'll do, but I'm crossing my fingers. Please remember to review and let me know how you like it so far~**

 **Quick Points:**

1\. **Book and Movie** : I haven't read the book yet, so this is Movie Prominent, but I have been and will be doing my best to incorporate Book elements into this. Books Readers, I hope you can see where I tried.

2\. **Censored** : FFN version is censored as usual. Go to my Ao3 account for the full version, if you want a bit of smut.

3\. **Probably not going to be super happy**. One of my goal with this is –if the real world is so crappy, I'm going to showcase the hell out of that and actually not shy away from it, like I felt the movie did. I don't know about the book, but if people are freaking ignoring the real world and immersing themselves in a fake one, I'm gonna show why. So definitely not a happy fic at a lot of parts, and Wade's going to help me show that. Eek?


	2. Sorry, Honey

Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.  
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.  
Set as an AU genderbending fic.  
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.  
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

 **The Cigarette Duet  
** _Chapter Two: Sorry, Honey_

In what could be considered the 'morning after', Wade felt Sorrento's fingers idly brushing back and forth on her stomach. Turning her head saw her glimpsing at the lazy smile on his avatar's face. Unwittingly, it drew a smile from her as well.

"Not to be presumptuous," he drawled, his lazy smile becoming just a bit bigger. "But what are you doing tonight?"

"Technically, it's still last night," she pointed out with a grin.

He raised an eyebrow. "In a few minutes, it'll be midnight."

"I said 'technically', didn't I?"

He laughed and his fingers went from brushing against her stomach to trailing up, between the valley of her breasts and then up her throat to cup against the side of her face.

"Meet me tonight," he said. "Same time, same place. "

"Going to buy me a drink or two first?" she purred and inwardly she gawped at herself. What on earth was going on with her?

He pulled himself over her and kissed her lightly. "Whatever you'd like."

She swallowed deeply, taking a deep breath as she watched him, again feeling her eyes go wide.

"Y-yeah. That'd be nice then," she said breathlessly.

He kissed her again and got up, taking the easy way on using his commands to digitize his clothes and armor back on. He nodded towards her, smiling slightly while she sat up.

"I have work early in the morning," he explained. "I'll have to log out and get to bed to rest up for a board meeting. I'll see you tonight."

"Yes, tonight," she confirmed dazedly.

He flashed her another smile before he logged out, his avatar disappearing from the room. Wade continued to sit up, taking in what had just happened.

Holy crap. She'd just slept with the CEO of IOI…and it seems like she was going to do it again tonight.

Wade logged out herself, looking at the walls of her van in disbelief. She got ready for bed and lay down on the small cot she'd made for herself there, and debated with herself about what she was doing with Nolan Sorrento of all people. She thought on what she'd already just did, finding herself crazy. And the fact that she was going to see him again that night, most probably sleep with him again, and Wade wondered if any of her sanity had stuck with her when the encounter had first happened. What if this became a reoccurring thing?

She placed the heels of her palms against her eyes. "Sleep, Wade, sleep. You still have school in the morning."

But she had trouble sleeping that night, and when she woke up she didn't feel rested at all. What she did know was that she was feeling… _giddy_. If she was honest, last night had been wonderful. After that shitty confrontation with her aunt and Rick, she'd felt so low and miserable that she had actually —for a moment —contemplated doing what her aunt had snapped at her to do. To get a job as an escort, echoing her mother, if only to get enough money to get a place of her own…a place to be away from where she was…

And then she met Nolan Sorrento, who had the reputation and who everyone knew as the biggest douchebag ever. And to her amazement, he wasn't like that at all with her. Granted, he'd wanted to sleep with her, but she saw a different side to the man than what his reputation preceded him as.

That night had been amazing and _she_ had felt amazing. If he was supposed to be a no-good man, she could at least say he was very good at pleasuring others. Her cheeks heated up just thinking about that and remembering their time together.

Even before that, despite the later confrontation and that morning's dream, the day had also been unusually good to Wade by the way she'd managed to meet someone else and have a wonderful conversation with him. She liked Lacero a lot. Talking with him had been a blast and helped her go through school easily. She'd been so lost in conversation with him that she hadn't really noticed anything else around her, and the dream had been forgotten. The horrible mood that the dream had put her through was also forgotten and disappeared as she talked with Lacero. If she thought hard on it, she really would say that yesterday had been really good to her for once.

Strangely, she could say she felt like a brand new person.

* * *

Once she was on Ludus and at school, she immediately logged on to see if Lacero was on. School wouldn't actually start until a half hour later, but she wanted to see if he was there and talk to him. A part of her felt very warm at the thought of the man, having not really been able to talk to others (much less other guys) like she had managed to with Lacero, exempting Aech. And there was the fact that conversation had flowed so easily and smoothly between them, which was a rarity for her.

To her delight, he was on and had been for fifteen minutes apparently. Before she could type in a message to him, he messaged her first.

 _Lacero: Good morning._

Feeling herself smile, she greeted him back.

 _Wade3_ : _Good morning! How have you been since yesterday? Did you manage to survive those boring old snots?_

 _Lacero: I survived yesterday. Today's a new day though, so it's round 2._

She tried not to laugh aloud, especially since everyone was starting to trickle into the classroom.

 _Lacero: I do have a question for you._

Her smile faltered and she felt uneasy.

 _Wade3: Yes?_

There was a long pause and she was getting a bit anxious. And then —a minute to the time class would begin —she saw the question and froze up.

 _Are you a high school student?_

Wade didn't want to tell him the truth. If she did, she knew he wouldn't want to continue to talk to her. She'd be too young and immature in his head, and then they'd no longer keep talking. That would be horrible —she barely had any friends or anyone she talked to. To lose Lacero when she'd just gotten him…

For the first time in a long while, she had made a connection with someone and didn't want to lose that.

 _Wade3_ _: What if I were?_

She waited anxiously for his answer, barely noticing class starting. She'd more or less admitted to it, though she hadn't wanted to. On the other hand, she hadn't wanted to be a liar.

 _Lacero: Okay._

She blinked, reading that over again. Was he really leaving it at that? She thought he'd freak out more or something. By then, she'd already gotten the feeling he was older than her, so she thought the age thing would bother him. She started typing quickly.

 _Wade3: Does it bother you?_

Lacero's reply to her was quick and she was almost in disbelief of it.

 _Lacero: Yes. I admit it did when I figured it out and it still does._

 _Wade3: Does that mean you're going to stop talking to me?_

She could already feel her eyes tearing up and she hated that she was going to cry in the middle of class. But she'd found a friend. She had found someone to be friends with after a long time, since the first time she'd met Aech. Wade didn't make a lot of friends, in the real world or in the OASIS. She had trouble connecting to people. Having finally made a connection with someone who seemed to really get her and who she was able to talk to, the thought of losing him already really bothered her.

" _Jesus, Wade. You're friendless for a reason. Maybe think about that, huh?"_

Aunt Alice was right. Wade was friendless for a reason.

Lacero was typing, but she could already feel herself spiral down.

 _Lacero: Of course not. Your age might bother me, but it has nothing to do with our talks. Just because I'm bothered you're still in high school and I'm, well,_ _ **not**_ _, doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly stop talking to you. I'm far too selfish and I enjoy our talks together too much._

Feeling herself become filled with joy, she tried to tamp down on her smile, lest she let on to everyone in the classroom that she wasn't paying attention to class at all and was instead chatting away with someone.

 _Wade3: I'm really happy about that._

Wade reread that and wished that she hadn't typed that. It felt too fast…too…too _needy_. Aunt Alice said she was and this was probably her showing that stupid part of herself.

More importantly, it felt too honest and she wasn't sure how she felt about how true it was.

 _Lacero: Really? Normally people_ _ **don't**_ _like talking to me. My, my —I'm quite flattered, my dear. For all you know, Little Red, I might just have sharp teeth._

Wade bit back a smile. If he was a wolf, then maybe it wouldn't be too bad being Little Red Riding Hood.

 _Wade3: Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be around the Wolf._

Wade's minuscule smile died down when she didn't get a reply. A few minutes passed by and she wondered if that had been too strange or-or-or —

 _Lacero:_ _I guess I'll have to keep my sheep suit on for just a little while longer for you._

For a moment, her heart skipped a beat for some reason. Reading that line again and again, it just made her feel warm all over.

 _Wade3: Hey, I was wondering if it was okay to ask what do you look like…?_

She clicked sent and the reply was immediate, and she could already hear the dry, amused voice behind it.

 _Only if you tell me._

If red bloomed all over her face, she was lucky that no one in class paid any attention to her and noticed.

* * *

Lost and forlorn. That was how Nolan could describe the fae-like girl standing in the middle of the path with the look of solemn resignation. Silver strands of hair hung about her face, the edges of which were tinged with blue, and her thin face was pale and doll-like. Pretty in misery rather than pretty in pink, though indeed her pouty lips were the palest of pinks. Her eyes, reflected in a sadness that gripped him, were a lighter shade of blue than that of her hair, and a part of him wanted to see them directed at him and darkened with desire instead of sorrow. In that space of time, he only understood one thing.

This strange, desolate girl in the middle of his path was utterly and devastatingly beautiful.

Though her avatar was undoubtedly pretty, what he meant was that there was an air about her that had drawn him so irresistibly. It was like gravity had pulled him in and wouldn't let go; seeing her so unhappy brought about a strong urge in him to do whatever he could to make her smile.

The fact that he'd managed to bring her in close, see that bit of playful fire she actually possessed in her, and be able to make her undone and watch her fall apart…Nolan had found he d been unable to think of just leaving straight after or not being able to see her again. Proposing another meeting the next night was all he could think of to hold onto her a little longer.

And speaking of being unable to let go…

That girl. The one he'd been chatting with and had just met, but felt like he'd known forever with the way they were able to talk to each other.

Wade3. Or simply just Wade.

The more he thought on it and on her, the more he had reluctantly come to realize she was most probably a high school student. The way the times uncannily matched up, the fact that she was bored enough to use an old-style chat room and had to be discreet about it (And why not? School could be dreadfully boring, if he remembered right.), the way her username was structured…it all just fit. But he still didn't know for sure and a part of him was debating asking her straight.

Should he though? There was no guarantee he'd get a straight answer. It also meant acknowledging that there was an age gap there that would put a space between them, and change the dynamics of their chats. He knew he was much older than her at this point (How much was debatable and not something he wanted to think about.) and it wasn't something he wanted to constantly think about. Knowing would _change_ things.

But would it really?

Their chats…their chats truthfully had nothing to do with their ages. Before even thinking about it (or when he figured it out), age hadn't been a factor when they were easily talking to each other and were enjoying their talk. They'd lost track of time and sense, not paying much attention to anything aside from what they were saying to each other. He didn't think of anything else, but just her and saying whatever came up in his mind.

He hoped that it had been the same for her. Did she really enjoy their chat as well?

Decidedly, he thought it didn't really matter after all. Yes, he was still bothered by the apparent age gap between them, but at the same time he knew that he was too damn selfish to let that stop him from continuing to talk to her. If he was being honest, he fucking _loved_ that talk. He hadn't chatted like that with anyone since…since his sister. And even then it was different.

Idly, he logged on and waited in their chat, continuing to think about their situation. Then, fifteen minutes later, he saw her username pop up and then she'd gone into their chat. He started to type out a greeting and sent it before she even managed anything.

Before he could think about it any further, he asked her if she was a high school student and waited tensely.

 _What if I were?_

He exhaled sharply, but his body relaxed at the same time. That was as good a yes as any. He was relieved to finally have some sort of confirmation, while also being wary of the truth. Still, he was resolute in what he had decided.

He told her it was okay and she was obviously caught off guard at his seeming dismissal, even more so when he admitted that it bothered him. But when she asked if he was going to stop talking to her, he pursed his lips and vehemently typed out his answer to that to her. Like hell he was!

 _I'm really happy about that._

He froze up, reread that, and didn't know what to say. It had been a long time since anyone had enjoyed talking to him, much less his presence. A strange warmth seemed to encapsulate him and his fingers trembled as he began to type out what he wanted to say.

 _Really? Normally people_ _ **don't**_ _like talking to me. My, my —I'm quite flattered, my dear. For all you know, Little Red, I might just have sharp teeth._

He laughed shakily to himself, wondering why he had typed all of that out. It was too fucking honest, goddammit. And even though he wanted to keep talking to her, he couldn't help the small warning at the end. She didn't know who he was —the real him. Would she really still be talking to him if she knew that he was Nolan Sorrento, the big bad CEO of IOI? The most hated man in the OASIS (and probably outside it too)?

And the analogy made him bitterly chuckle. He really was the wolf she had to be, should be afraid of. _What the hell was he doing?_

 _Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be around the Wolf._

Nolan blinked and read that line to himself under his breath. Did she really…?

"What are you getting yourself into?" He had meant to say that about her, but he was questioning himself.

A mysterious, sad girl with soulful eyes and someone he didn't want to make sad flashed through his mind. He really truly didn't want to make her sad, especially when he unexpectedly had the urge to make her smile…so what was he doing now? Chatting up a high school girl? _Was_ he chatting up a high school girl? Jesus Christ, they were just…they were just talking. Just talking. That's all.

This was just playful banter and could easily be read as that. Only the speed of their exchange was too slow to be real repartee, and felt too flirty and too intimate in the way they were phrasing things and what they were saying.

His fingers were quick as they moved across his interface keyboard and he sent it before he could change his mind.

 _I guess I'll have to keep my sheep suit on for just a little while longer for you._

He was just being playful. Really, he meant nothing by that.

(Honestly, he knew he was a despicable person, but for her and that mysterious girl, he'll play the good guy —the best man in the world really —just so he could stay by their side a little while longer.)

* * *

"I'm getting pretty close…Yes, I know the stocks are fluctuating…Tell them that everything's fine…"

Nolan strained to not get irritable on the phone, even though he was plenty irritable already. But not sounding it was a chore and a half! That's why he tried his best to wrap up the conversation and hang up as fast as he could without being rude and before he snapped back in anger.

Glancing at the time made him worry too. He would be late if he didn't get himself ready to be in the OASIS. He had a date to catch after all.

The same date that he didn't even know the name of. The fact that last night went on without her ever mentioning her name, nor him remembering to ask because he was too entranced, was a mishap he wished he could do over. He was lucky enough that he acted smoothly and confidently despite it all, but it was still a faux pas (and an embarrassing slight) that he forgot to get her name. He'd have to find a way to subtly prod it out of her later, when they met up again. He wouldn't want to just call her whatever and insult her.

Thinking of her again made him remember his thoughts about her earlier (though he steadfastly forced himself to remain thought-free about Wade…who he did know the name of). Though not sure why he was so drawn to her and was so determined to have her smile, he was definitely intrigued by her. A part of him had the burning desire to know what made her so sorrowful. Her slender body stood on that pathway like a lost fae or a desolate angel, and he'd stopped in his tracks at the sight of her. Approaching her had been instinct, unconscious will.

Nolan didn't regret it a single bit, especially when he got to see her splayed out beneath him like a beautiful goddess.

At least he had the presence of mind to set up their next meeting. Hence, he was quick to put on his OASIS gear and log on, wasting no time in traveling to the exact place he remembered running across her at. Frowning when he didn't see her on the pathway, he glanced at the bar and wondered if she was waiting inside instead. Entering it, he easily found her sitting at the bar, sipping at a Cotton Candy Cosmos like it was her usual. He inwardly smiled, smug in thought on picking the right drink for her.

He strolled over casually, catching her attention without doing much else. She gave him a slight smile, looking for all the world like his very own Mona Lisa.

"Well, if it isn't my fae princess," he purred, slipping into a seat next to her.

She looked up at him from underneath her lashes and he hid his shiver.

"I might've been remised last night. I didn't quite introduce myself, did I?" She said in a self-deprecating tone. He kept note of that, even as he felt relief that he wouldn't have to try very hard at getting her name (or username as it was) from her. "I'm Parzival, though most call me Z."

"Parzival," he tested it out. He gave her a smirk. "It's unique. Suits you."

Another of those smiles at him made heat pool down in his stomach and he wished he was in his real body right now, and that he would've been able to pick her up right then and slam her against the wall, ravishing her without any care. Something about this girl just drove him mad with desire and the desperate will to do what he could to have her feel and look anything but sad.

When he leaned closer to her, he smelled something sweet and the smell of lavender mixed together.

(He wondered what Wade smelled like.)

He bit his lip and knew if this wasn't the OASIS, he would've made himself bleed. Guilt and desire swirled in him and threatened to drive him mad.

' _I'm sorry I'm such a Wolf.'_

He wanted and wanted and wanted, and he thought he might've wanted too much this time.

Started 5/20/18 - Completed 6/3/18

 **A/n: So I knew this was a small fandom (shrugs), and in that way I'm not surprised and majorly upset at the low response. It was pretty good in these circumstances actually~ I'm pretty satisfied, despite just two reviews so far (though a fair amount of alerts and favorites!). Hopefully this chapter gets some more :) So please remember to review!**

* * *

 **Quick Points:**

1\. Little Red Riding Hood: I love this motif. I will never _not_ use it XD Especially since it fits my favorite kinds of pairings after all.

2\. Nolan: Ah geez, we're only on the second chapter and I'm already torturing him. (SorrynotSorry)

3\. I would've finished this sooner, but since there was a lack of Nolan fics (much less Nolan/Wade), I turned to Director Krennic and Krennic/Jyn fanfics to sate myself. Then I got drawn into that rabbit hole XD

* * *

 **Anon Reviews:**

1\. Guest 1: Thank you! I'm glad _you're_ glad I'm doing this story, lol. I hope I'll be able to keep writing for it and that there's continued interest!

2\. Guest 2: Haha, thanks! I think, though they're not my type of stories, that there are few movie-verse stories up on the archive. In any case, I'm happy to know you enjoy mine


	3. Makes Me So So Sad

Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.  
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.  
Set as an AU genderbending fic.  
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.  
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

 _ **Trigger Warning: Physical Assault and Blink-You-Can-Miss-It Implied Attempted Sexual Assault**_

 **The Cigarette Duet  
** _Chapter Three: Makes Me So So Sad_

Wade squirmed a bit, feeling hot. There was a weight on her and when she opened her eyes, she realized Sorrento's arms were around her and that he was slightly laying on top of her. His hair, ruffled and untamed the night before, was back to its normal slicked appearance. As was usual in the OASIS, she was sure that aside from their clothes, the both of them looked as they usually did.

Taking a deep breath, she tilted her head back and observed his sleeping face. The two of them had been too exhausted to log out and sleep in the real world, and instead had slept in the OASIS in a sort of faux imitation, where their brain waves went into inactivity. Their real bodies wouldn't be getting actual sleep, but it'd be like meditation and at least some rest would be involved.

That said though, she wondered if this was how he really slept. He looked…kind of peaceful.

It was strange and unlike what people, what even she pictured of him to be. Peaceful wasn't exactly a word that came up when people thought of Nolan Sorrento. But…seeing him like this made her see again that he wasn't what she thought. He was _different_ than what was expected of him. At least he was with her.

She remembered the rush to the bar last night, how she'd been so eager to get there and see him again. When she got there, she realized she was much too early and stood in the middle of the pathway feeling and looking lost. Then she'd glanced at the bar and had wandered inside, thinking that maybe she should wait for him there.

 _Finding a seat directly in front of the bar and near to where she'd sat before with Sorrento, she sat there in anxious wait. A napkin was set in front of her and the bartender of before smiled at her._

" _What's your poison, darlin'?"_

 _She blushed and shook her head. "I'm actually just waiting here for someone. Um, I don't really have anything to pay for a drink either, sorry."_

 _He laughed. "It's alright. On the house, okay? So what will it be?"_

 _Wade bit her lip, but smiled widely. "I'd like a Candy Cotton Cosmos, please!"_

 _She had really liked the drink Sorrento had picked for her. She didn't often get to have sweet things and that drink had tasted really good._

" _Coming right up," he said, beginning to make her drink in front of her._

 _As with last time, she watched him make it in fascination._

" _Here you go," he put her drink on her napkin. "Name's Collins. I have a feeling I'll be seeing you around a lot."_

" _Parzival," she introduced herself and then realized that she hadn't actually introduced herself properly to Sorrento, who had gone without her name this entire time._

 _It wasn't long until Sorrento strolled into the bar and found her, heading towards her confidently. She made sure to introduce herself properly, but she barely remembered with the way he was looking at her like he wanted to devour her, all heat in his gaze. And she remembered him calling her his fae princess, which surprised and flattered her all at once, while making her want him just as intensely. When he leaned in close to her, her body felt hot all over and she was sure she was going to just burn up right then and there._

 _She felt like she was on fire every time she was with him._

"You're a right handsome bastard, you know that?" she murmured, hesitantly reaching up to touch his face.

"Why thank you," he replied, voice gruff with sleep still. He opened his eyes slowly, giving her a smirk as he reached up to entangle one of his hands in her hair, kissing her thoroughly after. "Glad to know I know how to design my avatar."

"You look handsome in real life too," she admitted hesitantly, which caused his smirk to turn into a smug grin. Her eyes traveled to a clock in the room and she freaked out, pulling away from him and nearly tripping off the bed in her haste to get off of it. "I-I have to go! I'm going to be late!"

She panicked as she started picking up her clothes, and she only had enough time to see his bewildered look turn amused as he got off the bed too. He stopped her from moving around.

"Command Actions," he reminded her and she let out an exasperated breath at herself. She gave him a sheepish grin while calling up her interface controls and looked up her Actions Panel, digitizing her clothes back on.

"Seeing as you look like you have something urgent to do, can we meet again tonight?" he asked her and she felt herself become surprised. It really seemed like this was becoming not just a reoccurring thing, but a nightly thing that was happening between them. She didn't know how she felt about that.

"Okay," she answered firmly, deciding she was going to keep going along with this. Before she could hesitate, she leaned up and kissed him square on the mouth before she pulled back with a smile. "I'll see you then."

She rushed out of the door with burning cheeks, refusing to look back at him.

* * *

As she hurried out, she called up her interface and looked at the time. She was cutting it close to getting to school, but she worried more that she'd missed Lacero. Sighing to herself, she just made herself rush towards school. By the time she reached it, she already knew that she was beyond late by the empty look around the building. Cursing silently, she just focused on getting to her classroom, where everyone turned to look at her when she entered.

"Sorry, overslept," she muttered, avoiding looking at anyone.

"Try not to oversleep next time," Mr. Avenovich warned and she nodded.

Settling into her seat, she logged on to her assigned computer and pretended to pay attention while discreetly finding her and Lacero's chatroom and logging into that. She hoped Lacero was logged on, but felt disappointment at seeing him absent. Her disappointment didn't last long as his username lit up, indicating he was now on. She withheld a sigh of relief, glancing at the teacher carefully.

 _Lacero: Sorry I'm late._

She hurriedly began to type her reply.

 _Wade3: It's okay. I was too —almost got in trouble with my teacher._

 _Lacero: What a naughty girl. I didn't know I was associating with a delinquent._

Her cheeks warmed considerably.

 _Wade3: Geez, catch me a break. I was_

She swallowed and thought back to what she _had_ been doing. She'd slept with an older man (for the second time), even if it was with his avatar. Maybe she _was_ a delinquent.

 _Lacero_ _: You were?_

She winced and tried to come up with some lie.

 _Wade3: Sleeping. I was really tired and ended up oversleeping this morning._

It had been the excuse she'd been using and it was believable enough.

 _Lacero: Ah well; less naughty, more lazy._

For some reason, she could picture him having a smirk while saying that. She inwardly huffed.

 _Wade3: Hush up, you. Anyway, I was wondering what was your favorite show? I know last time you told me your favorite book was The Art of War, but we didn't get to TV shows._

 _Lacero: Knight Rider. I_ _ **loved**_ _Knight Rider when I was younger, and I'd always wanted to own the car. Too bad Halliday never had much to do with Knight Rider, otherwise I'd be able to figure out a clue or two, I bet._

 _Wade3: Speaking of gunting, you know —I'm an_ _ **excellent**_ _gunter. The best, I tell you!_

 _Lacero: Oh yeah? I bet you are._

 _Wade3: I know you were being dry and sarcastic! I'm telling the truth. Everything in Artie's Missives is everything I've already known and figured out about Halliday._

 _Lacero: You should start your own blog then._

Wade paused, blinking. That was…She had never really thought of doing anything like that.

 _Wade3: …Oh. I don't…know about that. I don't think it'd do as well anyway._

 _Lacero: Don't be ridiculous. I think you're very witty and funny, and it'll translate great into writing. Our conversations are proof of that. Your blog will be entertaining. I'll be your first subscriber._

 _Wade3: I guess I'll think about it._

But it didn't sound as bad as she first thought when he'd brought it up.

* * *

Heading home after some time away always brought her down. But she was hungry and most of the time, there wasn't any other way for her to eat than to make herself go home and face Aunt Alice and Rick and beg for food.

Quietly walking up the stairs, she daydreamed of living elsewhere. Maybe with Sorrento, in his nice, big house or apartment or wherever the hell he lived —

Wade shook her head, shaking those ridiculous thoughts out of her. She was being silly. Like that would ever happen. It made her smile bittersweetly to herself. Sorrento was just interested for the moment, and would move along once he found something else to amuse him or once he got bored of her. It was just sex, she knew. Besides, he would never like or be interested in the real her at all. Wade in real life was nowhere near as pretty as her avatar was.

She entered her trailer, feeling miserable now, only to find herself being yanked forward and falling to the floor. A heavy weight was on her back as she felt whoever it was straddle her.

"Look…look who's finally back," she heard Rick slur.

"Get off me!" she croaked out, trying to wriggle away.

His hand gripped her hair, pulling her head up before slamming it against the floor, her face smacking against the hard surface. She screamed, instinctively lashing a hand out and hitting him, which led to him gripping that hand and twisting her arm behind her back. Rick dragged her up, and for being drunk, he was amazingly capable of functional movement.

While one arm kept her locked against him, the other moved to grip her hip, nails digging into her skin and she was sure some of them had pierced through and had made her bleed. She moved her head and then slammed it back, certain that she had hit his chin hard. It was enough to make him stumble back and lose his hold on her, and she was sure him being drunk helped with that. She ran like hell to her room, locking it just as he slammed against it.

"Fucking —! Open the door, you little bitch! Stupid whore! Open up! I'll fucking kill you if you don't open this goddamn door, you ungrateful brat!"

She bit back her crying, shaking her head and covering her ears as she fell to the floor and curled up. Seeing her window, she clumsily climbed to her feet and headed towards it, ignoring her pain as she opened the window and carefully sat on the ledge. Bringing her feet up, she slipped them out the window. She grasped onto the rope she'd tied outside of her window and then slowly began the climb down.

She wasn't going to stay there a moment longer. She'd rather starve for a while longer if it meant staying away.

Her feet hit the ground running and she blindly made her way to her special hiding spot. Without stopping, she hardly cared for the tears obscuring her sight and ran as fast as she could, her feet occasionally tripping over themselves or her running into things. Finding her half-demolished van, she entered it and closed the back doors behind her. She stopped and took several deep breaths, shaking and feeling pain.

Wade searched out her OASIS gear and put it on, logging back into the system. The OASIS was her safe place. It was her real home. She had nothing and no one in real life, but at least in the OASIS she had Aech and…and…Lacero.

Even in a twisted way, she even had Nolan Sorrento.

Once in the OASIS, she started walking and found herself heading towards the Halliday Archives. It was empty, as nowadays everyone had given up on it and assumed they had seen and studied everything they could in there. All that was left inside was the Curator, who stood behind his desk and watched her come in curiously.

"Oh, it's just you, Parzival," he said sarcastically. "What's the name for me today? Nathaniel? Gandalf? George?"

"Y-you look like a-a Edward," she said, smiling through her tears, even as she gasped that out through incoming sobs. When she fully started sobbing, the Curator walked over in alarm.

"Parzival?"

She brought her hands up and wiped her eyes continuously. She didn't normally cry in front of anyone, but she always made the exception for the Curator.

"S-sorry, Q," she cried. "I can't stop."

He pulled her close and embraced her, letting her cry into him. Through his usually neutral expression, it softened a bit as he held onto her.

Parzival had always been one of his favorite visitors.

Started 6/13/18 – Completed 6/13/18

 **A/n: Ah, welp. That went horribly bad and this story went pretty dark already. Sorry? Ahaha, so I hope you guys were enjoying this chapter regardless. Please remember to review!**

* * *

 **Quick Points:**

1\. **Original Story** : On Wattpad, I have an original story out that I'd appreciate you guys checking out. It's a teacherxstudent romance called "Autumn Leaves". Thanks a bunch, guys! Just type in wattpad etc. and then story/150768002-autumn-leaves-a-teacherxstudent-romance

2\. **New Stories** : I have a few stories coming out soon. There's a Full Metal Alchemist story that might come out Saturday, and a Sword Art Online fic that's hopefully coming out tonight or Saturday too. There's also a Firefly fic coming out (not too sure when), and a Marvel's Spider-Man (2017 cartoon) that might be published tonight or Saturday as well. Also a few one-shots, and definitely some Pokémon stories XD Please support them!

3\. **Rick** : Is an asshole. (Shrugs)

4\. **Told you this wasn't a happy fic.**

5\. **Curator** : Oh, he's going to be in this a lot. And probably a lot more closer to Wade than movie or book canon.


	4. Don't Make Me Cry

Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.  
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.  
Set as an AU genderbending fic.  
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.  
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

 **The Cigarette Duet  
** _Chapter Four: Don't Make Me Cry_

 __The hand threading through her hair, though hard and metal, was gentle. He never shifted in movement so her head lay perfectly still. It was comforting being here —the Halliday Archives was always quiet these days and the Curator was someone she had secretly always found comfort in. He never asked, he never judged. He just was.

Together they would watch Halliday's memories whenever she was in some kind of mood, or they would play trivia about Halliday. Sometimes she would talk. Usually just…random things. Or whatever was on her mind. Before meeting him, she would joke about and mock Sorrento to the Curator, who would sometimes quip back dryly. She'd even learned at one point from him that Sorrento had once interned for Halliday, which had surprised her.

Or sometimes she would be just like this: quiet, lifeless even…She would lay wherever and just be still, mind spiraling down while she was silent and miserable in these halls. He would be near, a silent comfort and reminder that she wasn't alone. There were rare times, like right now, where he would be closer and she wasn't struggling so hard to remember she wasn't drowning.

"Would you like to watch any of Halliday's memories, Parzival?" he asked politely, though he was still continuing to run his hand through her hair.

"…That would be nice," she said in a subdued tone.

A snap of his fingers and the wall in front of them ignited into a live screen.

"How about something funny?"

She smiled slightly while the memory began playing, and together they watched as Halliday as a teenager and his best friend Odgen Morrow started in on their first brainstorming and ended up causing a food fight that had one of their mothers yelling and lecturing them.

A slew of memories went by before Wade reluctantly got up.

"I have to go meet someone," she murmured. A part of her was still dragging her into her misery, but there was another part of her (a part that had only just recently come into being) that was eager and filled with happiness at the idea of meeting this man.

The Curator smiled. "Then have a good night, Parzival. Feel better, won't you? The next time I see you, I would like to see your pretty smile instead."

Wade ducked her head, but she did manage a small smile for him.

"Bye, Q."

She gave him a grateful smile before she left, thinking about where she was going next. In the mood she was in, she didn't know if she'd be good company for Sorrento anyway though.

When she found her way to the bar she was starting to frequent, she sighed to herself and wondered if this was a good idea. Not just meeting him as she was right now, but continuing this whole…affair? Whatever it was, it wasn't exactly something that was normal or even right.

Looking at the time, she saw that she was early again. She only hesitated a moment before deciding to enter the bar anyway. Heading to where she sat at last time, she was once again surprised by the bartender putting down a napkin in front of her and beginning to make a drink for her.

"I don't have anything to pay you —"

He laughed, shaking the drink in the shaker. "No worries. Mr. Sorrento opened up a tab last time he was here; said he'd pay for anything you wanted in the case you were early again."

Wade blushed but couldn't help accepting the sweet drink when he gave it to her. She never got to have something like this outside of these times, so she guiltily enjoyed them each time she was here.

"Speaking of Mr. Sorrento, you've been seeing him here rather frequently lately," he hmmed. He smirked and winked at her. "And I also notice you tend to come here quite early? Eager to see him, are you?" he teased.

Her face turned red. "N-no, that's not it at all!"

He laughed again, though it slowly died down until he was giving her a hesitant look.

"It's probably not any of my business, but you sure you know what you're doing?" Collins asked. "Everyone knows about Mr. Sorrento, about who he is. You sure you want to go fallin' for that?"

"I'm not falling for anything," she denied, growing uneasy. But she bit her lip when he continued to give her a look. "I don't know what I'm doing," she confessed quietly. "I'm floundering right now, about all this, but he's not really what I was expecting or thought he'd be. I'm actually happy around him, and honestly…happy isn't something I really knew before him."

'I'm not a happy person,' she wanted to say.

She gave a shaky inhale, looking down at her drink. She picked it up and finished it off in one go, before giving him a smile that was as shaky as her earlier breath.

"Can I have something a little stronger? I think I might cry and I've probably cried enough today for my tastes," she blinked rapidly.

Collins grabbed her glass and took out another one that was shaped a little differently.

"Not a problem, darlin'," he said reassuringly. "Let's start you off with a margarita before we try anything harder."

She waited patiently, sitting there and starting to hunch over. She still remembered Rick and how he'd held her down, the force of his blows, the fact that her face —even now—ached a little and would probably be throbbing in pain after she logged out of the OASIS. The hunger she felt too; she hadn't had anything to eat in days, minus that small, unfulfilling bowl of cereal she had. Despite what had happened, she would have to head back to the trailer again and try to scramble up some food, probably bargain with them on cooking something. She wasn't the best cook, but the basics she could handle. Better than Aunt Alice and Rick at least…

She had to make sure that what little things she owned wouldn't be sold off either. Aunt Alice liked to take some of her things and sell them, and there were a few things she kept in the trailer that were in danger of that.

Once she accepted the margarita, she took a large gulp of it and closed her eyes, pleading to her eyes to not tear up. She didn't want to cry here, not in front of Collins and definitely not be caught by Sorrento like this. She couldn't —

"Sorry I'm late, Parzival."

It was strange hearing a similar sentiment aloud. She could almost picture his voice as Lacero's.

Wade took a deep breath and turned around, and she already knew she probably looked like a mess by the look on his face.

* * *

As per usual, he was once again annoyed by his day. Nothing was going right, his employees were all a bunch of idiots, and he was getting the urge to zero them all out. Given how he was working in the OASIS today and was in his virtual office rather than his real world one, he contemplated going on a murder spree and zeroing everyone out. Or at least the idiots that irritated him the most.

Like those annoying, old codgers from the Board that insisted on yet another meeting.

Goddamn, if he knew being promoted to being the CEO would require this many meetings with them, he would have declined and said he was satisfied being the Head of his division. At least in the Oology division, even if they were all incompetent, they were _his_ incompetent fools and they were somewhat amusing.

The only good thing about his day was his chat with Wade. She was such a cute, quirky girl and he always ended up grinning and being in a good mood after one of their talks. It was like everything bad that happened before her could be forgotten, and he could enjoy some part of his day a little before something ended up ruining things for him.

His nights though…

They were what got him through the days recently, and what he always looked forward to. Aside from Wade, there was another woman in his life that brought life out of him these days.

Speaking of, it was about time he left the building to meet her. He made his way out of there without another look towards his subordinates, and tried not to let his feet hurry. He didn't want to seem too eager. Then again, as he looked to the time, it was cutting it close so he did end up moving a bit quicker to his destination. Seeing the bar, he paused outside it to make sure he was okay and looked fine, before entering it and trying to project a calm air.

Instead, he was feeling off kilter and froze in place.

The lost look he remembered from before was back, but this time was accompanied by an astounding and more than obvious look of misery. Hunched over her seat and looking exhausted, Parzival was obviously not happy. She accepted a margarita from the bartender, something he was sure she had never had before, and then took a large gulp of it. Even from where he was, he could see her closing her eyes and struggling not to cry.

"Sorry I'm late, Parzival," he finally spoke out and could see her visibly pause, even taking a deep breath.

When she turned around, he forced himself not to flinch because she looked like the most miserable creature on the planet. All he wanted to do was to ask her what was wrong, what had happened —but this was the OASIS and he didn't want to pry. In the virtual world and in this kind of area, anonymity and silence was usually what was asked for, not nosiness.

But he fucking wanted to make whoever made her so miserable pay for doing so.

"Hello, Mr. Sorrento," she said quietly and goddamn if he wanted to find a way to make her get louder, maybe drive his fingers, his tongue, his cock into her so that she'd scream out in pleasure rather than be like this. "I don't think you're late, or at least not too much. I don't mind."

'You should,' he wanted to snap. Someone like her deserved the utmost best, and he was an idiot for thinking earlier that he didn't want to seem too eager. Hell, she was showing up early for him, so she had to be eager to see him. He should let her know he was too.

He determinedly walked forward, nodding to the bartender, who nodded back and walked off to give them privacy. He took her hand and squeezed, tugging her off the stool.

"Come with me," he said. "I was thinking of something a little different tonight."

Though she got up and looked bewildered, it relieved him because it wasn't the misery that was so achingly etched into her.

"Where are we going?" her voice was soft.

He just smirked at her, slipping into his cool and collected mind frame while he led her out of there and even started heading out of the Red A area. While he definitely wanted to stick around and have more adult-oriented time there with her, he felt the need to do something different that night, what with the mood she seemed to be in.

Actually, he led her to where his work was in the OASIS and even pointed it out to her.

"I work there," he said, pointing to the large skyscraper. Her eyes were adorably wide as she stared up to the top. "My office is up there, though the very top is reserved for the Board." Then he turned her to the almost unnoticeable storefront across from the building. "This is a small little cafe that I go to a lot; it's quaint and a little unnoticeable, but that's fine by me. Less attention to be drawn when I go there and plenty of privacy. And the food and drinks are good."

"We're going there?" she asked, giving him a questioning look, though he was quite pleased to see a light dusting of red on her cheeks.

He nodded. "Let's have dinner right now. It's not the same as eating in the real world, but the act of eating in the OASIS always translates good flavors into the brain. We could talk…get to know each other, aside from physically," he smirked again, more so at her amused laugh.

Her lips were pulling up into a small smile. "That…that would be nice. I've never had food in the OASIS before."

"It'll be a treat," he said. "You'll enjoy it, especially from this place," he promised.

He pulled her behind him into the cafe and led the way to a booth, with a waitress immediately coming over and handing them a menu.

"Thank you for this, Mr. Sorrento," she said while looking over the menu in fascination. "I appreciate it."

"Call me Nolan," he said suddenly and was taken aback by his own request. But he decided quickly that he wanted it and wouldn't take it back. "Even if it's just once."

She looked clearly surprised by his request, but then smiled shyly.

"Okay, N-Nolan. Nolan," she said again, a little more firmly. She licked her lips before focusing on him intently. "I appreciate this a lot, Nolan."

The sound of his name from her exhilarated him. He had no idea how much it would like this, but it did and he wanted to continue to hear it from her.

"Oh, there's ice cream!" Her blue eyes lit up and she looked so cute being excited like this. It made him smile to himself.

"Do you want some for dessert after we eat?" he asked her.

"Can we?" She was being shy again. Damn, he didn't realize her acting so shy would turn him on so much.

"Of course," he easily agreed. "Maybe one day I could take you out for ice cream in the real world. It's much better in real life."

She was startled at that and watched him intently, but he didn't change his expression or look hesitant in any way.

"That would be nice," she said finally, face looking wistful and like she didn't believe him.

That made him inwardly frown, but he had plenty of time to show her he wasn't all talk.

* * *

Still, like all of their nights so far, it ended up with them in a room. But though she expected something else, what actually happened was something much different. Though they'd made it out of their clothes and his lips had caressed her face and down her neck, while his hands moved all over her body…The moment he'd laid her onto the bed though, he simply situated himself behind her and held onto her, occasionally running a hand up and down her side.

It was like he seemed to know and understand she was feeling off, and was changing the entire night to a different tune for her and was trying to accommodate whatever upsetting feelings she was being plagued with.

She dragged in a heavy breath, turning around in his hold and tentatively reaching down, her fingers brushing against his hip.

"Do you —do you want me to…?"

But he just grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, brushing it against them over and over.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked abruptly.

Not expecting that, it took her a moment to reply. "B-blue?"

He hmmed and she saw his eyes track to her hair, which she had of course altered to have the tips highlighted with blue.

"What's yours?" she dared to ask.

"Gray," he replied.

"Gray? Why?" she asked, confused why he'd like such a drab color.

He smiled grimly. "The real world is a depressing gray mess."

"That's a totally depressing reason!" she exclaimed. "And morbid."

Sorrento — _Nolan_ laughed rather wryly. "I am a rather morbid person though."

Since they were asking questions… "Why Alex Ross' version of Superman? Or at least why Superman at all?"

He looked amused. "Why? Because there used to be a common stereotype that men with strong jawlines, jawlines that are more chiseled and square, were more attractive and appealing to the human eye because they were part of a more symmetrical face. Which makes sense to give to Superman, who is supposed to be the height of attraction and the perception of perfection, and Alex Ross tended to specifically draw him in that way." Here he cracked a huge grin. "That and I quite like _The Man of Steel_ art print by Ross, which even has Superman in a suit that's actually very much my style."

"Oh?" she found herself laughing. "And here I thought the reason was because you thought you were just like Superman and so wanted to take on that image."

"True," he mused aloud playfully. "I should just take that reason and tell it to anyone who asks, and make sure to wear a 'smug bastard' look on my face every time."

And she was laughing uncontrollably again. She kept laughing and laughing, until she could feel herself start to laugh in a more hysterical manner and could feel the tears threatening her eyes again. But damn it, she didn't want to cry here, in front of him.

She never allowed herself to cry in front of anyone. She'd only ever cried in front of the Curator, who witnessed her tears and wouldn't ever tell on her to anyone, and hell if she was going to let herself break down completely in front of Nolan, even though she was on the verge of it.

But he pulled her closer and she could feel her face pressing against his bare chest, while she released shuddering breaths as she tried not to cry. Even as his hands ran up and down her back in comfort while she trembled against him, she refused to cry.

(One or two tears slipped out of her control, but she was glad that he said nothing of it and she could pretend it hadn't happened.)

Started 6/22/18 — Completed 6/22/18

 **A/n: Eeeh –I really like this story and like writing for it, so despite the lukewarm-ish response, I'm probably going to keep focusing on it for a while. I freaking adore and obsessed with this pair right now. Also, I really seem to like making fem!Wade miserable (whistles).**

* * *

 **Quick Points:**

1\. **Original Story** : On Wattpad, I have an original story out that I'd appreciate you guys checking out. It's a teacherxstudent romance called "Autumn Leaves". Thanks a bunch, guys! Just type in wattpad etc. and then story/150768002-autumn-leaves-a-teacherxstudent-romance

2\. **New Stories** : I just recently put out a Marvel's Spider-Man (2017 cartoon) fic called "Along Came a Spider" and a Sword Art Online fic called "The Shadow Noir Nexus", and I have a few stories coming out soon. There's a Full Metal Alchemist story and there's also a Firefly fic coming out (not too sure when, though maybe today), and a Phantom of the Opera story. Also a few one-shots, and definitely some Pokémon stories XD Please support them!

* * *

 **Anon Reviews:**

1\. Guest: Thanks so much! I really appreciate it, since I do try to put a lot of work into my writing.

2\. Lizzy B: I love Wade too, but uh…it may not seem like it? Haha, misery is apparently fun to write and the real world sucks there, so…Q is great. I'm going to really like writing the Curator and his scenes with Wade. But thanks a lot!


	5. Is It Worth It?

Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.  
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.  
Set as an AU genderbending fic.  
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.  
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

 **The Cigarette Duet  
** _Chapter Five: Is It Worth It?_

 _When she calmed down, she felt embarrassed and didn't want to lift her head away from his chest. Though she no longer felt the need to cry, her face was burning up from the embarrassment of suddenly breaking down on him._

" _I'm sorry," she muttered._

 _She felt his hand rub the back of her head. "It's okay," she heard him say. "I…I haven't comforted someone in a long time. I thought I'd forgotten how."_

 _Wade instinctively bent her head back, looking at him in surprise. Nolan gave her a sardonic smile. "Did I fuck up?"_

 _She shook her head and surged forward, kissing him because she wanted to somehow convey how grateful she was._

" _Do you want to go out, do something different?" he asked her quietly. "We can get more drinks, find something to do…there's karaoke around the corner…"_

" _Could you hold me?" she managed to ask him and though he quieted down, he wrapped his arms more around her._

 _It was comfortable and warm in his arms, and she was content with just this._

When Wade sat in front of the keyboard, she thought about that night and tried to think of what she wanted to say. It had been a few weeks since then and she'd finally decided to give that blog idea a try. But though she wanted to write about her gunting, she also wanted to write about her feelings and her life. She was hoping it would help her let off some steam and maybe express herself a little more freely.

She snorted. If anything, this might turn out to be more like a diary log.

"Ugh, what am I doing?" She rubbed her palms against her forehead. "This is stupid."

 _You should start your own blog then._

Lacero had been the one to suggest that to her. As far as he was concerned, she knew he didn't just say those kind of things lightly

 _Don't be ridiculous. I think you're very witty and funny, and it'll translate great into writing. Our conversations are proof of that. Your blog will be entertaining. I'll be your first subscriber._

Well, at the very least, he was going to be her first subscriber. Even if he was the only one, that'd be fine with her. In the end, he was the only one who mattered. Wade took a deep breath and began to type.

 _Hey! My name's Wade and this is my very first entry._

 _Geez. That sounds super awkward, guys. Truth is,_ _ **I'm**_ _an awkward kind of girl actually. But you know, just lately I was thinking that's actually okay and someone helped me realized that and comforted me, even when I was being such a downer and he could have anyone else…_

If she continued on regardless of what she was feeling about what she was writing, then all she had to think about was Lacero.

And that night.

When she finally published the entry, it was like a load off her shoulders and she actually felt relieved. And when a few minutes just passed after and she saw the notification, she laughed and couldn't help the wide smile spreading across her lips.

 _You have 1 new subscriber_.

* * *

Later, at Aech's workshop, Wade was still in a good mood. She was smiling cheerfully and hummed as she helped Aech out on working on some customer's car.

"Looks like my girl is in a good mood," Aech teased. A giggle slipped past Wade's lips. "Oh, now I _need_ to know what's up. Come on, Z! Guuuurl, I know you've been keeping something on the down low."

Wade thought about it. Aech was her best friend and she could literally just tell him about anything. She could trust him with something like this, even though it concerned a certain someone and what exactly they were doing.

"You promise not to freak out or tell anyone about it?" she asked him hesitantly.

Aech gave her a look. "Z, you are my girl. I ain't ever gonna go behind your back on anything because I'll always _have_ your back. You got that?"

Wade bit her lip, fiddling with the wrench in her hands. "The thing is…some weeks ago, I was wandering around and I ended up walking into one of the Red A areas."

Aech reeled back. "You did? Did someone bother you or-or —"

"I was fine," she reassured him. "I was caught off guard since I wasn't paying attention, but nothing bad happened. I just…I ran into Nolan Sorrento," she finally confessed, though she left out exactly where she'd been and what she'd been looking at and contemplating.

Aech slowly sat down near her, clearly shocked. "Sorrento? For real?" he asked in disbelief. "What was that like? Did he act like an asshole to you?" It looked like he didn't know what to think of her running into Nolan. And that was just _running into him_. Wade wondered how he'd act once she told him what was going on?

"He asked if I was lost," Wade said sheepishly. "I don't know why, but I said no. Then he asked me out for drinks, since there was a bar behind him."

Aech blinked at her. "He did what?"

Wade coughed. "Yeah, he basically asked me out on the spot. We went over to the bar and since I didn't know what to drink, he ordered me something."

"Of course he did," Aech rolled his eyes. "Like _you_ would know what to drink."

"Hey! I'm just not a drinker," Wade pouted, though she had to remember not to reveal anything about her age. "Anyway, after we got our drinks, he led me over to somewhere more private there and he more or less let me know that he was interested in me."

"Interested?" Aech croaked out, looking at her in more disbelief.

Wade blushed. "Interested. Really interested."

He stared at her and she kind of wanted to cover her face. Talking about it was actually turning out to be embarrassing!

"He asked if he was intimidating me and I said a bit. Then he asked if he was too scary to spend the night with," Wade shrugged helplessly. "I don't know why I answered no to that either, but ever since, he's been asking to meet up with me every night and we've been seeing each other every night since."

Aech's jaw dropped. "You're… _sleeping_ together? How long has this been going on?"

"Um…I guess around four…four to five weeks?" she estimated.

"That's been some time," Aech whistled, starting to look at her in awe. "Z, you realize you've been sleeping around with _the_ Nolan Sorrento, right? No matter what way you look at it, that's pretty impressive. Like holy crap! _Nolan Sorrento_?! I mean, damn!"

She grew pretty flustered.

"That's like the big, bad boss himself, Z," he whistled. "If you were a guy, I'd say you had huge balls to accomplish that. That's like one name to hold up and be smug about having as a conquest."

Wade's blush grew darker. Honestly, she hadn't really thought about it like that. She knew that it would be a big deal because it was Nolan and because of who he was and his reputation, but she hadn't thought those reasons would also be made a big deal of as some sort of accomplishment that she should be bragging about or something. Was it a guy thing?

"Still, it _is_ Sorrento though," Aech shook his head. "It's surprising too that he'd be with anyone or show interest in anyone, and with that that you'd managed to capture his interest. He doesn't seem the relationship type either."

"It's not a relationship," she said quickly. "It's…just sex."

Aech blinked before looking at her closely, making her flustered again. "Yeah? A month's a long time to just be sleeping together, without some sort of attachment."

Wade didn't have an answer to that.

He frowned. "Like I asked before, though this time concerning your relationship, is he an asshole to you? Does he treat you right? Does he hurt you at all? And not in a good way," he gave her a look.

Wade shook her head hurriedly, giving him a glare. But concerning most of what he said…

"He's actually not that much of a jerk, at least to me," she said. "He's…he's a good guy to me. Like in the beginning, you know? I was in one of those moods," she knew Aech knew what she was talking about, even if he didn't know why she got into those moods, "and he could tell I was off. He didn't bring me straight to our room and instead led me to this cafe that he goes to a lot, that's right across from his work? He let me know that it's one of the places he frequents and he could have privacy, and he treated me to dinner and dessert there. Then when we finally went to the room, he just held me and I felt really comfortable like that. I was…He made me feel really…content." She got lost in thought for a moment, remembering back on that fondly and smiling a little.

"Is that so?" Aech murmured and she came back to the present, seeing him watching her. "Sounds like he's not all so bad, at least in private."

"No, he isn't," she said firmly, finding herself oddly ready to defend Nolan.

"It's not a romantic relationship," though Aech sounded doubtful, "but it's _something_. I don't think it's just sex," he folded his arms across his chest. "At least not for you."

Which made her flinch. "Maybe not," she reluctantly admitted, trying not to think of the way Nolan sometimes made her heart race or how she really liked being around him. "But we _are_ just sleeping together and it isn't anything more. We're not boyfriend or girlfriend or anything, but we are good friends, I'd like to think."

And they were. They got along and though they had sex, they'd moved above acquaintances and were close enough to enjoy being around each other and talk or whatever.

"Sooo…fuck buddies? Friends with benefits?" Aech raised an eyebrow and smirked, and Wade threw her hands up.

"Aech!"

Still, she missed the thoughtful look he sent her way, even as she wondered why she didn't mention Lacero at all…

* * *

Nolan was on the phone, glad that the other wasn't insisting on a holocall. He wanted to get this over with so that he could contact Wade. Knowing it was the weekend, contacting each other was a bit inconsistent. He hadn't given her his friend code, being that it was connected to his regular profile and username, and he hadn't yet let her in on the fact he was Nolan Sorrento. Being Lacero to her was something he didn't want to give up yet, especially how freeing and relieving it felt to be someone else than who he was.

"Sir?" One of his secretaries knocked on the door and peeked her head in. "There's a man insisting to see you."

He blinked. This…was different. Not something totally unexpected, since on the occasion he had people wanting to see him and yell about IOI or beg for a job (or whatever comes up). It's been a while though, and it wasn't an event that happened often either.

"Did he leave a name?" Nolan asked in boredom, already turning away and focusing on his computer to see if Wade had found something to log onto so they could talk.

"I believe he called himself Aech."

Nolan paused, frowning to himself. He knew that name. Aech was a known individual in the OASIS as being one of the highest ranked PvP competitors, particularly in the _Deathmatch_ league and the _Capture the Flag_ league. He was also well known as a builder and repair mechanic, that many paid great money to for all sorts of builds and fixes.

"Bring him in," Nolan told his secretary, now intrigued. If he scored Aech for the company, then it would be a big deal, especially with the man's reputation and skills.

His secretary nodded and closed his door and not too long after, his office door opened to let in a tall dark-haired man, whose face was set in a serious, frowning expression. The frown deepened while dark brown eyes narrowed at the sight of Nolan. He was tempted to raise an eyebrow back, only somewhat surprised by the vaguely negative reaction of the other. He knew he had a bad rep after all.

"Mr. Sorrento," Aech greeted solemnly.

Nolan stood up and plastered on a polite smile. He was a businessman; he could act as warmly and professionally as he would in other business manners, no matter the negative vibes and how he was actually feeling. Whatever this guy's problem with him, Nolan was determined he could win him over, even if just enough to get him to work for IOI.

"Mr. Aech, welcome to my office in the OASIS. It's good to finally meet you in person!"

"I'm not interested in your spiel," Aech deadpanned and Nolan's mouth twitched. He was just about to start counting to five in his head, when what the other said next had him mentally stumbling. "I'm here about Parzival."

Nolan stared at him numbly, trying to process what he just heard.

"So…you know her," Nolan frowned. "How do you know her?" he asked, jealousy seeping into his words unbidden.

"I'm her best friend," Aech sounded amused, watching him curiously now. "To be honest, coming here was a bit of a sudden thing. She told me about you and your guys' relationship just an hour ago, so after she'd left, I thought I'd hunt you down."

"Oh yeah? What for?" Nolan asked, smirking while inwardly thoughts were racing a mile a minute. Parzival had talked about them. That was…unexpected. The two of them had never specified over any secrecy or not, and while Nolan didn't actually mind it, he just hadn't thought she'd want to talk about it or them. He wanted to laugh at the odd giddy feeling that came over him because she had.

"She's under the impression it's just sex, you know," Aech's voice broke through his thoughts, making him startle back into the present with first surprise before disgruntlement took over. "She likes you, I can tell," the other added on, which made Nolan feel better, "but she's pretty certain that while you guys get along and can even be friends, that you two are more or less friends with benefits. I came to hunt you down to give you the shovel talk and make sure you don't hurt her, but I'm also pretty sure that I ended up coming here to enlighten you on her instead."

Nolan stared at the other. "The fuck? Are you serious?" She didn't really think that, did she?

But Aech just planted a hand on his hip and pursed his lips, tilting his head to the side as he watched Nolan expectantly. He noted that.

Nolan ran a hand through his hair, suddenly wanting to get out of the OASIS and just have an actual drink in the real world. Like a real glass of something that he could knock back. He took a deep breath.

"It may not be clear to her… _I_ may not be clear to her," he looked at Aech closely, dead serious then. "But I do care about her, even if I don't give a shit about most people. She's…like my drug of choice."

Fuck if he secretly claimed that Wade was his personal poison.

He rubbed his face harshly before looking at Aech. "Look, if all you wanted to know was if I was capable of hurting her, that's a fuck no. And while I thank you for the epiphany as well, I can assure you that I'll do my best to see to it that Parzival will understand things soon enough. So if that's all then goodbye."

Aech huffed, but didn't seem too deterred. He was in fact more amused than ever.

"Alright, though I'm surprised your jealousy from earlier didn't last long," Aech prodded, slowly walking backward to the doors. "I figure you'd hate the idea of her having a male best friend."

"Yeah?" Nolan drawled. "Probably because you're either gay or you're actually female. I'm leaning towards female just by gut instinct."

"What?" Aech stopped in his tracks, looking uneasy. "How'd you figure that?"

"Like I said, instinct," he shrugged. "My gut is saying you're female and I usually trust it. And I came to those choices anyway, because you were giving off a few clues, so it has to be something like that."

Aech blinked at him before saying, "Huh." The male avatar sort of shuffled his feet before sighing. "It's both," Aech finally said. "I'm female and gay."

Ah. So Nolan had been spot on either way.

"Don't tell her, okay?" she bit her lip. "Z doesn't know."

Nolan nodded agreeably. "You're a good friend and it's none of my business. Though I do suggest you tell her —you know she wouldn't have any problems."

Aech's lips twitched up. "Yeah, I know." She turned from him and started to walk to the exit again. "See you around, Sorrento. If you're sticking with her, I have a feeling I'll be seeing you around more."

Nolan made a noncommittal sound, watching the other leave thoughtfully.

That had been an enlightening talk. Though he had had expectations of hiring a famous player, instead he had gotten something more valuable to him. The idea of Parzival not feeling secure in their relationship was unacceptable and something he needed to correct right away. He did care about her, as much as he cared about Wade —

There was a notification that popped up, as well as the sound of a beep to accompany that. He saw that Wade had logged on and he was quick to type in a hello.

Nolan had to admit it to himself. He adored Wade as much as he did Parzival. Parzival was enticing and most of the time confident and even seductive. Wade was sweet and funny, and truthfully the first actual friend he had.

He wasn't under any delusions. He wasn't a nice person, he was abrasive, and most people avoided him for a reason. He was lucky and amazed to have somehow gotten Wade as a friend, and he was as addicted to their talks as he was to his nights with Parzival. As platonic as things were with Wade (though a darker side of him whispered too many temptations), he knew it was important and non-negotiable that he was able to keep in contact with her. He was pretty sure he'd go mad if he continued on with his life the way it was, without having her to make it less torturous.

 _Hey, how are you? I see you finally started your blog._

He was sure that the long pause was her getting all flustered and embarrassed. Poor girl was as insecure as he was cocky and egotistical.

 _Wade3:_ _I did. I remembered what you said and I thought it didn't matter who else was reading, 'cause only you mattered. Um, did you read it yet?_

Nolan had. It was, like he thought she would be, amusing and even adorable. He'd wanted to start in on teasing her mercilessly right then, but he also remembered what she'd been talking about in her entry.

Who the hell was this guy she'd mentioned, that had comforted her and had been so important to have had such an effect on her? He would have wanted to comfort her if only she'd come to him and let him know! If only they could contact each other more easily…

And anyone would be lucky to have her. He knew he would've been, and he knew he _was_ lucky to be able to have her as an acquaintance, much less a friend.

 _Lacero: I did. You were cute~_

 _Wade3: Stop teasing, you jerk!_

She probably had a red face right now. It made him smile, though it easily became a smirk.

 _Lacero: But you make it oh so easy. How much do I have to bet to know your face is probably bright red?_

 _Wade3: Sometimes I wonder why I'm friends with you ;P_

Nolan wondered too. Like he said, he was a lucky bastard.

 _I don't know either, but I'm happy you are._

She really did make him too fucking honest. He swore that Wade just had the ability to make him spill his guts or something. It made him a little uneasy, knowing that…

But it reminded him of this mystery guy of hers, and he scowled heavily and wished he could somehow be more accessible to Wade. How could they keep in contact, even without having to log onto their chatroom —?

 _Can I get you a portable IM Interface?_

They could talk even outside the OASIS. It wasn't a cell phone, but it was the next best thing. She would still not know who he was, but they'd have more contact and it would be more reliable than relying on the in-server computers inside the OASIS, especially her school one. He'd have to probably still use his regular interface during meetings, but outside of that, he could use the IM Interface if he was outside of the IOI building or something. Plus, IM Interfaces were more reliable in the current economy, since they run off of the OASIS servers. Cell phones were more expensive than ever, due to the two mobile companies left over that monopolized that market.

 _Wade3: Are you sure? I mean, um, you don't have to._

He quickly typed in a reply to cut her off.

 _I want to. I want to be able to talk to you more and we can reach each other whenever for whatever this way, and not have to worry about how to._

Nolan pinched the bridge of his nose. "That sounds obsessive." Maybe he'd scare her off.

 _Wade3: Okay. I want to talk to you more too._

He found himself grinning wildly.

 _Give me an address._

* * *

 _Want. Desire._ _ **Obsession**_ _._

Nolan was well aware of the churning emotions inside of him. He was riding on a high though —maybe things weren't progressing on the Halliday egg hunt and no key was in sight…but it wasn't doing badly either. And he had Wade to brighten up his days and Parzival his nights.

 _Selfish. Greedy._ _ **Avaricious**_ _._

His world at the moment was at an all-time high because he had two women that made his head spin, pushing him into this spiraling and uncontrolled addiction where he kept coming back for more, like he was a man dying of thirst.

 _An addiction. A drug. An irresistible_ _ **vice**_ _._

After talking to Wade, his thoughts resounded loudly in his head. He kept thinking about this other man she'd talked about, and Nolan felt a rush of jealousy all over again. He felt like he was going crazy. More and more, whispers in his head haunted him and forced him to admit that he did want Wade just as much as he wanted Parzival.

She was _his!_ He was the one she talked to. Lacero was her friend and confidant, not whoever this person who had managed to comfort her in a time of need. If he had been accessible, he could've done that instead. Wade was _his_ girl.

At this point and in his current state, he didn't even give a fuck that she was still in high school and not legal where they were.

He wasn't a pedophile. He only wanted and cared about Wade. She'd become this sort of irrational need for him, just like Parzival was someone he'd chosen to worship.

Maybe when Nolan was in a less heightened state and was more rational, he'd realize that he should be toning himself down and that his thoughts had become too dark and obsessive at that time. But at the moment, he had Parzival wonderfully naked and beside him, panting into his ear. Part of him fantasized about Wade in a similar position, and he wondered if she would be fully flushed in the same way Parzival was.

The madness in him warred with the guilt.

Nolan was a horrible man.

* * *

Wade had to catch her breath, though she rolled her neck around to crack it. Beside her, Nolan's gaze was intense on her and she wondered what he was thinking about. His fingers began to trace around her stomach while he continued to watch her, and she ended up drowsily smirking at him.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Her smirk turned into a playful grin and she was glad it made him grin back.

"Just idle thoughts," he told her and she let it go. "You were having trouble connecting earlier. Was something wrong?"

"You mean, did you make me feel good or did you do something wrong?" she asked coyly, though she inwardly winced. Her school gear wasn't the best for this kind of thing…

He kept watching her, waiting for an answer. She sighed.

"I still use my school gear to connect to the OASIS. Haven't exactly upgraded to something better, so it's glitchy in these areas and especially in these kind of activities, if you know what I mean," she told him as dryly as possible, hiding her anxiety. She didn't want him to know how young she actually was.

"Do you want an upgrade?" he asked abruptly.

"What?" she asked, having not expected that.

"I can buy you something better," Nolan said with a thoughtful frown. "It wouldn't do for you to not be experiencing the full effects…if you know what I mean," he added teasingly.

It would be nice. Using her school gear, which was old and beat up already, kind of ruined the sex sometimes. Some sensations ended up dulled or missing entirely, so sometimes his touch didn't register and it made her ache and even frustrated sometimes. Even if it was in a better condition, school-issued OASIS gear tended to sometimes register the Red A areas in the OASIS and start to glitch around them, more so when it was recognizing an 'immoral' activity. She'd long known how to mess with the Moral Settings in the OASIS, so she could sort of go around that, but the glitches still sometimes happened, and more often now that she was regularly sleeping with Nolan.

But on the other hand, she'd already had Lacero buying her an IM Interface, which wasn't by any means cheap. An upgraded OASIS gear would be even more expensive and she was feeling guilty being offered all these things and then accepting.

"I would _very_ much like to show you how you should _really_ be feeling during our time together," Nolan said huskily, the very hand that had been tracing now moving to firmly cup one of her breasts and massage it slowly. She inhaled sharply. "If I'd known about this earlier, I would have gotten you something much sooner so that I could ravish you properly and have you cumming for me _every freaking second_ , sweetheart."

She unwittingly let out a moan, which made him smirk and lick his lips.

"In the meantime, I guess I'll have to work extra hard and see how much more effort I need to put in to make you feel _really_ good."

Honestly, Wade was pretty sure Nolan was using this as an excuse to continue to drive her crazy with pleasure through the night.

* * *

Aech kept giving her amused looks that were accompanied by knowing smirks. It made it hard to get rid of the dark blush on her face, more so as she kept thinking about the night before and how Nolan had continuously pleasured her in an effort to overcome those stupid glitches. And dear God, did he succeed. She wondered on how if that was how good it felt, how much better would it feel with an upgraded OASIS gear?

Still, knowing that she was getting all these expensive gifts made her antsy. She wanted to repay Nolan and Lacero somehow, but felt kind of stuck. Although…While she wasn't sure what to get or do for Nolan, she thought she might have an idea for Lacero.

"Hey, Aech?"

Her best friend turned to her curiously. "Yeah, Z?"

"How hard would it be to get parts for the car from Knight Rider?"

Started 6/26/18 — Completed 6/29/18

 **A/n: I just reeeeallly adore this story and pairing right now XD What can I say? I get obsessive, lol. Ah, but Nolan's going a bit cuckoo too though, eh? If you guys are getting obsessed with this story, then please remember to review! (winkwink) You guys don't realize how giddy I get when I read everyone's replies… XD**

* * *

 **Quick Points:**

1\. **Original Story** : On Wattpad, I have an original story out that I'd appreciate you guys checking out. It's a teacherxstudent romance called "Autumn Leaves". Thanks a bunch, guys! Just type in wattpad etc. and then story/150768002-autumn-leaves-a-teacherxstudent-romance

2\. **New Stories (6/30)** : I just recently put out a Firefly fic called "Out the 'Verse", a Marvel's Spider-Man (2017 cartoon) fic called "Along Came a Spider", a Sword Art Online fic called "The Shadow Noir Nexus", and I have a few stories coming out soon. There's a Full Metal Alchemist story and there's also a Phantom of the Opera story. Also a few one-shots, and definitely some Pokémon stories XD Please support them!

* * *

 **Anon Reviews:**

1\. AnonAnon: Thank you! I'm suuuuper happy to hear that, since I really love this story right now and really would like to know if others do too~

2\. Shiranai Atsune: I wouldn't say you're wrong, but I'm totally biased :D Genderbending has become my ultimate obsession, hehe. And I've really grown fond of the Ready Player One movie, hence me getting into the fandom and starting this story. As for a RPO genderbend involving male!Art3mis and fem!Parzival as a pairing or just those characters in a story being the opposite sex?


	6. I Was Different Then

Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.  
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.  
Set as an AU genderbending fic.  
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.  
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

 _ **A/n: Full version at Ao3, as usual.**_

 **The Cigarette Duet  
** _Chapter Six: I Was Different Then_

Wade felt nervous as she walked the area, biting her lip. She was debating heading to the spot where she'd taken the address of and given it to Lacero. She'd given a separate address to Nolan, but it was nearby.

Would he be nearby? No, no, Lacero didn't seem like that. Even if she wasn't sure about that and didn't really know him for sure, her gut said he wouldn't stalk her like that.

Would it be bad if he did?

She sighed in exasperation at herself. Then again, it wasn't like she disliked Lacero and wouldn't mind meeting him. She'd become so happy after meeting him and was grateful to have him in her life. She knew that it wouldn't matter what he looked like. And if he was eager to meet her in person, well, she was eager to meet him too. Plus, he was probably infinitely better than sleazy Rick in all the ways it counted anyway.

Mind made up, she took a huge breath and marched over to the abandoned grocery store and looked at the mailbox, hoping it was there already. To her luck, there was the small package and she picked it up before putting it into her ratty messenger bag.

The next package was going to be a bit more tricky, considering Nolan had warned her the size of it was moderately huge. She'd have to unpackage it and put it into her bag before heading back to her hiding spot.

Heading over to the next destination, she gently opened the door and found the package hidden to the side of the warehouse's doors. She opened it with the switchblade she'd found a few days ago, and then pulled out everything that was inside. It took some work, but she managed to work everything into her bag and then she set off back to her home. Once she reached her hidden, half-van, Wade unpacked everything and eagerly multi-tasked into setting up both her IM Interface and her new OASIS gear.

The gear became a little more complicated, so she had to grab the instructions to make sure she had everything right so far. Her eyes glanced at the model, reading the X1 Haptic Bootsuit in bold at the top and inwardly winced. It was the hottest, newest model in the market _and_ from IOI, which meant it was the most expensive model out. She'd thought Nolan would've gotten something better than her school gear, but hadn't thought he'd get something like this. Then again, it _was_ from IOI, so maybe that's why. Hopefully, as its CEO, he'd gotten a discount or even gotten it for free.

After she'd put everything together, she set aside her upgraded OASIS gear and then picked up her IM Interface again, snapping it around her wrist and activating the holoscreen and keyboard. She went back to where she left off, though most of it had been set up already. All she had to do was set it up to recognize her as its user and add her profile, and she'd be set with it too.

When she was done with that, she realized that Lacero had already programmed his communication ID in and she eagerly clicked on his name. It went to the message screen and she quickly typed a greeting.

 _Wade: Hello?_

 _Lacero: About time. Got lost in the woods, Little Red?_

She smiled widely. Maybe they weren't face to face, but this was better than before.

* * *

When the message popped up from Wade, Nolan dropped what he was doing and gleefully answered back. He'd been looking forward to this all day and was ecstatic that she'd finally set everything up and contacted him.

 _How are you doing? Thank you for the gift. I appreciate it._

 _You don't need to thank me —it was more than a bit selfish on my end too. I really wanted to be able to contact you and for you to contact me whenever. And wherever. Because, you know…I don't want to have to wait until we're in the OASIS or have some kind of OASIS interface to meet up in some chatroom._

Nolan had said something like it before, but saying it like this really did make him sound…obsessive? Stalkerish? In any case, he was worried he was starting to sound too much and that at some point she'd get scared off.

 _Really? I'm glad for that because I'd really like to chat with you whenever too. This might make me sound weird or something, and you can tell me that and tell me to stop it or back off or whatever, but um…_

She'd stopped there and he waited anxiously. She sounded unsure and by the words she was saying, whatever it was she was trying to get out was highly embarrassing for her. Embarrassing and something she wasn't confident in saying.

 _I like you._

Nolan stared at the words. He felt like his heart had stopped and his brain stopped functioning, but the words remained.

 _I like you a lot —you're one of the few friends I have, you know? I have trouble being social and connecting to people, especially without being awkward, so aside from one other person…you're my only friend. You make me laugh, you make me feel comfortable, you just…make me feel really happy._

For a moment, Nolan didn't know what to feel. It was a heartfelt confession, but a part of him felt disappointed that in the end she only saw him as a friend after all. The 'I like you' was sincere and very intimate, but platonic nonetheless.

Then again, by the rush of the things she was saying and the long messages she was sending him to explain what she felt for him, he was also feeling highly appreciated and warm that she cared so much about him and that he meant so much to her.

He was also upset that she seemed so lonely and had such a lack of friends, so much so that she had to resort to being friends with an asshole like him and actually be happy about it. She was such a better person than he was and deserved better. He couldn't see or understand her lack of friends.

 _I like you a lot too. I've never been happier until meeting you._

He blinked at what he wrote, having not expected something like that to come from him. Nolan looked around in paranoia. Even if he hadn't said it aloud, he felt too off put at any chance of being caught saying such sappy crap. But…

 _To be honest, you make my sharp edges less sharp._

Hell, if he was going to be sappy, he was going to go for the gold. That and he knew how insecure she was and the low self-esteem she had; he wanted to do his damnedest to boost her up and he'll always find any fucking chance he could to do it. Hell to his own pride, goddamn it.

She was silent on her end, but he was pretty sure she was just digesting what he'd said to her. He felt sure enough that she wouldn't be freaking out at what he said, but being the way she was, he was unhappily sure that she might not believe him. Or at least not fully. Sometimes she had _such_ a problem feeling and seeing positive, but that was something he'd been working on with her.

By then, he'd had much of her figured out. Aside from her low self-esteem and insecurity, she was shy and suffered from depression that was harder on her on some days than others. She was lonely and had trouble seeing herself in a positive light. In fact, he was amazed at the views she had on herself. They were so skewed and messed up, whenever she slipped up and said something about it to him —it made him infuriated and wonder who the hell put those kind of thoughts in her head.

She was balancing on an edge and could topple off at any moment, and he admitted that scared him. He didn't want…he didn't want her spiraling down like his sister had. He'd lost his sister to the OASIS and before the years had softened his stance and made him forget how much he'd hated this place, he'd wanted to destroy the OASIS entirely. Part of him still did.

Charlie had been his sweet baby sister and losing her had practically lost him his soul at one point. And now, having the horrible feeling that Wade could just fall like Charlie, he actually felt afraid. There was a part of him that knew that if he lost Wade, especially if it was in the same way, he wouldn't just stop at destroying the OASIS. He'd burned down the world while he was at it.

He stared numbly at the screen, even as a few messages from her popped up.

 _Thank you._

 _You're the best. Really!_

 _I know I have trouble believing positive things about me, but seeing all those things you said make me so, so happy._

 _Ahhh! I'm all flustered now, you jerk. Change the subject._

His lips quirked up, even as the image of his sister dead and cold in her haptic feedback unit stayed stuck in his mind. He moved slowly to type something up, but then looked on in horror at what he had blurted out.

 _I had a sister._

No, no, no. Why had he put that down? He knew that he'd just been thinking about Charlie, but that shouldn't have made him bring her up. He could…he could change the subject again. Wade wouldn't mind and wouldn't question him. There were plenty of things to talk about —

But this was Wade and he liked her a lot and trusted her. He was surprised at that, but it was true. And if there was anyone he could finally talk about Charlie with, it would be Wade. They had always been able to talk and there was a connection there that he trusted.

 _Sister?_

At her prompt, he made up his mind. A part of him wasn't surprised and he was pretty sure he'd blurted it out in the first place because he felt close enough to her to talk about something this important to him.

 _She was my baby sister. Her name was Charlotte, but I always called her Charlie. She was really outgoing. Annoyingly so! But…she was my baby sister, so I adored her anyway._

 _What happened to her?_

Nolan stared at the sentence for what seemed like forever. It was only when Wade had hastily typed up an apology and tried to say it was none of her business that he moved to cut in.

 _No, it's okay. I brought it up. The truth is that I haven' t talked about her in a long time, and for a few years I'd even tried to not think of her. She was…After Halliday died, the whole egg hunt started, right? Well, she'd always been in love with and a little obsessive with the OASIS, but after his death and the start of the egg hunt, that obsession went on a whole other level. She_

For a moment, he had to pause and not explode in anger and a bit of pain, but it was a hard thing. After he'd calmed himself, glad that Wade had been patient and hadn't said a thing, he finally continued.

 _She'd always partied too hard in the OASIS and took the occasional drug. But then the egg hunt drove her pretty much crazy and she spent less and less time in the real world, ignoring everything in it and focusing on the OASIS to the point that she eventually didn't leave the OASIS anymore and took more and more drugs to sustain herself and keep her body up and running. And those became higher-end and stronger drugs, and suddenly she was a goddamn druggie and between those shit and the fucking OASIS, she was killing herself slowly and I knew something like that was going on but I didn't know entirely, I was just turning a blind eye and I should of I should of_

Nolan slammed his balled fists onto his desk, causing things to shake. He was seething and breathing hard, but remembering it brought on a torrid of emotion that made him want to both rip something apart with his bare hands or just drink to the point that he was too drunk to remember.

Looking at that mess of a message that he'd accidentally sent, he knew that he came off angry and emotional, and that his rant probably surprised Wade.

 _I need a drink. Hold on a sec._

He typed that in before he angrily stood up and went over to his liquor cabinet, grabbing a snifter glass and pouring a liberal amount of whiskey in it. The hell if he was drinking on the job. It wasn't like anyone was going to barge into his office at that moment. If they did, he'd just yell at them and kick them out.

Returning to his desk, he took a huge gulp of his drink before eying his last message. Jaw clenched, he reluctantly continued.

 _I knew something was wrong. She'd stopped talking to everyone, but that she stopped talking to me should've been a big clue. The last times I saw her, she was always a mess. Sometimes she'd even been high and I'd have to help her act like nothing was wrong in front of our parents._

If he paused then, it was because telling Wade this last part was really personal, too personal —and not something he'd said to anyone ever.

 _I found her dead in her haptic feedback unit, overdosed. She'd been dead a while, but no one had noticed until someone noticed the smell and contacted me. Three days. It took three days before anyone knew she was dead and I wished I had checked on her sooner. Maybe if I had_

 _Maybe if I had_

 _Maybe_

He tried several times, but he couldn't get it out. After all, what _could_ he have done? She was a meth addict. Had been for the longest time. She never left the OASIS if she could, even before Halliday's death. On the rare times she did, she never took off her haptic suit and it was always mostly to just eat and sleep. Everyone was dead weight and not important if they weren't in the OASIS. She'd even missed their dad dying and only cared enough to receive her part of the inheritance of his will, which was wasted anyway on more meth and in the OASIS. Halliday's death just drove her crazy. He was sugarcoating a lot of it to Wade right now, even if it sounded shitty still. His sister hadn't been an angel, but he'd loved her.

He slumped over in his chair, finishing off his whiskey. There was nothing he could say about it. And in the end, the hate he'd had had slowly just been driven out of him as he tired out from it and resigned to IOI's ways and the endless ongoing egg hunt, the lingering resentment and faded anger just vaguely still in him.

 _My mother was a heroin addict._

He blinked. He read that again and straightened up. He'd reached over to start typing when another message from her popped up.

 _My parents were teenagers when they had me. At one point when I was just a few months old, my dad got killed. I was told he was shot up for trying to rob a grocery store or something. You know the address I sent you to deliver the IM Interface? That place is a worn down, abandoned grocery store, the same one he was killed at. I guess that's kind of morbid I used that place, huh? Well, after he died, my mother raised me._

 _She loved me, or I liked to think she did. But she had two jobs and we were still poor, so she usually just shoved me into the OASIS with her. Sometimes she'd leave me be to wander around while she worked the whole day, sometimes it was only half the day and then she'd take me to her other job. She was a telemarketer._

He made a face at that. Telemarketers were still annoying in this day and age. Still, hearing about her past made him understand Wade a little more and understand how she got to be the way she was.

 _At night, she was an escort._

That stumped him. He read it again to be sure he read it right, which he seemed to have to keep doing, and it made his stomach churn. If Wade's mother had been an escort and as she'd implied, her mother had taken her with her to that job sometimes…

 _It wasn't the best way to be raised, but I tried not to stay there. If she was going to be busy all the time, I left and wandered around the OASIS on my own. I was just a kid, but I wasn't really bothered. I wasn't paid attention to, which was okay. I was used to it. The OASIS basically raised me. I know you hate the place because of your sister, but it's been the only haven and home I've ever known. I learned to love technology and got pretty good at it because of the OASIS. It's my…it's the only place I feel safe._

His heart actually hurt. Not something he was used to or had happened to him, except when his father and sister had died and it's been years since. He felt torn too, feeling a renewed hate for the OASIS after remembering, but after hearing from Wade, he understood her stance too. He didn't want her to become dependent and addicted to the OASIS, and yet it was the only comfort she'd ever known. He wouldn't want to take it away from her.

Still, something was bugging him.

 _You keep saying 'was'._

 _She died._

He stared at those two words, feeling like he might've overstepped and that Wade might've not been over it.

 _Mom died from an overdose of heroin. I found her on the floor of our home, a rubber tie around her arm and a needle nearby, and plugged into the music player I'd fixed up for her the Christmas before._

He felt a stronger connection with her more than ever. They were the same. They'd gone through the same thing, had found someone beloved to them overdosed. They had always been kindred spirits in his mind, but now he understood that had been truly true.

 _That song's seared in my head. She was playing this one song and sometimes I just keep hearing it over and over and over. I still dream about it sometimes. I wake up, remembering seeing her on the ground, and then I'm in this horrible mood, you know? That's how we met. I woke up that day feeling depressed and empty, and I went to school and somehow I found you and oh my god this is embarrassing, but you're really the best thing ever because you made me cheer up and I was so happy and I can't_

She stopped and he felt taken aback. He hadn't known that at all. It made him feel…happy to have helped her at a low point, even unknowingly, but sad for her too.

 _I'm sorry. I sound silly and clingy and please don't hate me._

He felt angry enough at that to speed type a message to stop her from saying anything more.

 _Don't say that. Don't you dare say that. You're so important to me and you can cling all you want._

… _Okay. I'm happy to hear that. It's just that I was so miserable then and suddenly you came and made things better. You really mean so much to me._

He felt himself smile widely.

 _Who do you live with now? Family? Foster care?_

 _My aunt. We, um, live in the Stacks._

He hadn't expected her to let him know where she actually lived. He felt the irrational need to reciprocate.

 _I live alone. I have a huge home, but I don't stay there much. I work a lot, so I spend a lot of time there. I talk to you a lot at work actually._

 _You talk to me at work? Aw~_

He laughed to himself. He was about to type a reply when she beat him to it.

 _Do you end up doing any actual work? :D_

 _Brat. Of course I do!…Sometimes._

Nolan snickered, leaning back and stretching on his chair. The mood seemed lifted and things felt great after their little confessions. Feeling this close to her like this, he felt the longing to meet her face to face though. But…

* * *

 _Do you want to meet?_

Wade's face flushed. Lacero wanted to meet? For real?

But after that conversation they had, she felt closer to him than ever. She wouldn't mind meeting him. She really adored him at this point and couldn't believe he had such a past. It made her ache for him and she felt the urge to give him a hug. She knew it pained him still, especially with his emotional outbursts in their chat. Surprised and touched he'd told her about such a personal thing, she wanted to do the same and had ended up telling him about her own past and her mother. She never talked about it before, but he hadn't either. It seemed fitting this way then.

 _We can make a meeting point in the OASIS. That is, if you want?_

 _Yes, I'd really like to. We should dress up so we can find each other more easily._

 _I could be Phantom and you can be Christine ;P_

She giggled as she replied to that.

 _Makes sense since you're a mysterious…stalkerish guy in the shadows._

 _Only because you're my naive, little ingenue._

They set up a time and place and she felt inordinately happy after that. Even if she was embarrassed at having confessed what she felt about him, she was even happier that he seemed to really care about her too.

She was eager to meet him tomorrow.

* * *

Nolan swiveled slowly on his chair, slightly smiling to himself as he closed his eyes and thought about his conversation and the fact he'd meet Wade soon. Maybe it was only in the OASIS, but it was better than nothing. Glad that he'd gotten her the IM Interface and that it had been put into good use, his thoughts wandered back to her words.

He was important to her. _Really_ important. It made him feel smug and possessive, especially when he thought about this mysterious man she'd talked about in her blog. Was _he_ as important to her as Nolan? No, he couldn't be. Whoever it was didn't have a stronger connection to her than him.

Speaking of her blog, it's been some time and he hadn't gotten back to reading it. It was amusing but also informative. He didn't exactly cyberstalk her, but he liked reading it in regards to getting to know her; it was the little things that mattered, that allowed him to know tiny details about her and insights into her head. Things like…

She wanted to learn to swim. She'd never been around water, whether it was in the OASIS or in real life, and she'd like to swim around somewhere. She was a huge fan of anime over Western cartoons, loved Dante from _Devil May Cry_ (and would of had him as an avatar base if she'd been a guy), and was also fond of a character named Lightning from _Final Fantasy_. He'd have to look either of those two up, but those were details he liked finding out about her.

Bringing up her blog after he'd settled into his chair with a cup of coffee, he brought the cup to his nose and inhaled deeply, enjoying the smell. There really wasn't anything like the real world…people should spend more time in it and out of the OASIS…

Having only read up to four of her first posts, which were mostly ramblings about her and some gunting stuff that she'd posted on the first day, his eyebrows raised as he put down his cup to realize she was up to 20 posts (not a big deal compared to other blogs, but it was still a lot compared to just how much time had past since she first started) and that there were subscribers numbering already over 1000.

"What have you been writing that's gotten everyone in a tizzy?" he said in a wonder.

He clicked the fifth post and skimmed, seeing that she'd started finally talking about how she got into gunting and all the mishaps. She was funny (like he'd thought she'd be) and her post was littered all over with her quips and occasional dorkiness that made him smile to himself. He read on until Post 10, where he straightened up in his seat in shock.

 _It was by accident, really. I was just going to play around in the school arcade for fun again, since school just finished and I had nothing else to do. It was kind of…by luck? It was luck that I had gotten my highest score yet on Tempest, which actually beat Odgen Morrow's high score, and all of a sudden a door appeared and it was the entrance to the Tomb of Horrors. I just played it once and all of a sudden it started to deconstruct and the raceway was being built and taking over Ludus…_

Jesus, he hadn't even known how the raceway to the key had appeared. It just had one day and everyone was eager to finish the race and earn the Copper Key. No one had a clue how it had happened, minus knowing the _Tomb of Horrors_ was involved somehow. Then the original Ludus was taken over and became the focus of the Copper Key trial, and another planet was made to become the new Ludus.

The next post was about her first try at the race and the eagerness in her writing tone was obvious. She spent time detailing her various attempts at the race, her trips to the Archives (even when it was practically abandoned and she was the only visitor), and the occasional rambles of her day or thoughts on something. He sometimes skimmed over the comments, raising his eyebrows at what seemed to be a good number of fanboys she'd collected, and then there were obvious other gunters who talked about her theories or even opinions about Halliday and the 80's pop culture (or whatever she ended up talking about).

It wasn't until the 20th post that had him reeling back.

 _I was having a really crappy morning. I woke up after a dream that reminded me of old memories. I had school that day though, so I made myself go. While in class, I met someone in a chat and we somehow became good friends. We talk a lot nowadays, but I still remember that first meeting. The rest of the day was slow, ended up getting into another fight with my aunt and her boyfriend. Got upset and ran away —basically logged on and hid in the OASIS, you know?_

 _I was just wandering around and found myself in a Red A area. Before I know it, I met someone else and this time, because I was in such a lost mood, he was kind of like a lifeline I didn't expect._

 _He's got a reputation and all, but the moment he talked to me and gave me all his focus and attention, maybe I got a little bit hooked and wanted to just…_ _ **do**_ _something. It wasn't like me, but I also wanted to not be me then._

 _And then he kissed me and I think I fell for a really bad guy. I don't really regret it though._

 _Because he gave me a wonderful night and made me feel good for once, and maybe just maybe I actually saw what hope looked like for once._

Shit, shit —that sounded like his first meeting with Parzival. But this was _Wade_! It was just coincidence, right? It had to be. That's right, it was…just coincidence.

A glance at the comment section showed the number one comment, from the infamous Art3mis at that.

 _Write it out as a story. Maybe it'll help you get it off your chest, writing about him._

Nolan felt oddly peculiar about that.

* * *

Nolan's hand on the small of her back was warm and firm, his touch more reactive against her than it had been before. The X1 haptic suit was clearly already showing the difference and she could _feel_ so much more than she had been before.

"You're walking slowly. Is something the matter?" Nolan leaned closer to her, whispering into her ear. She could feel his body better like this, and his breath against her ear from his whisper registered more sensitively.

"Everything…just feels more heightened," she said in awe.

His lips brushed against her ear and kissed it lightly. He smiled against her ear. "Good," he licked his lips, his tongue brushing against her skin. She shivered. "I'm looking forward to tonight, my beautiful fae princess."

They reached the door that he unlocked and opened, letting her go in first. He slipped in after and closed the door behind him, and when she looked to him, Nolan had a hungry expression that made her grow flustered and feel shy. Despite repeatedly sleeping with him, he still easily had the ability to make her feel all out of sorts.

Nolan walked towards her and his hands gripped her hips. They stared into each other's eyes and she lost herself in his, while the touch of his hands going up had her reacting simply just by that. His large hands wrapped around her waist briefly before continuing upwards, moving to her breasts and palming them gently. She lost her breath at that, amazed by her new sensitivity just by having worn the new, upgraded OASIS gear.

His thumbs dragged against her nipples, moving back and forth teasingly before he pressed his thumbs into them. Squeezing her breasts, he smirked and kissed her deeply, swallowing up the whimpers she couldn't help let out. His knee moved between her legs and he pressed it up, nudging her cunt.

"I'm going to fuck you so thoroughly tonight," he said hoarsely, his breathing heavy.

She leaned into him, gasping as she moaned and grasped at his shoulders, feeling his knee rhythmically moving against her opening while his hands squeezed and moved her breasts around in small circles.

He maneuvered her onto the bed and sat her at the edge, taking off her pants with some help from her. Sweeping her legs apart, he took a moment to stare, licking his lips again. Watching him made Wade's face burn in embarrassment and also her own lust, amazed to have someone so ardently admiring that sacred place between her legs; to want _her_ so much.

"What I wouldn't give to be able to taste you in real life," he groaned, watching her pussy with longing and then looking up at her with a perverse grin. "I'd enjoy eating you up all night."

Wade covered her face. "N-Nolan! Stop teasing me!"

"Teasing you in what way, my dear?" he purred. "Do you want me to stop having my fun picking on you? Or do you want me to stop playing around and cut to the chase, have my wicked, wicked way with you?" he ended with a sharp pinch to her clit that surprised her and drew a squeal from her, especially given how the sensation from that was sharper than she'd ever experienced before from him doing something similar.

"B-both!" she blurted out, still mortified.

"Oh, but it's so much fun," he said before suddenly ducking his head and mouthing her pussy. He'd only managed a couple sucks and a few licks of it, before she was screaming and arching, flopping back onto her back and blacking out, somehow accidentally disconnecting and logging out.

When Wade opened her eyes, she was breathing hard and her body was quivering. She slowly shoved off her headgear before realizing in shock and horror that she felt wet d-down there!

"Oh God," she said in mortification, doing her best to rapidly shed her bodysuit and look down inside of it, confirming the fact that she'd just _creamed_ herself and gotten some of it inside the suit. "Shit, shit, shit! What the hell?"

She cleaned it up quickly before tearing off her pants and her underwear, which had taken the brunt of her orgasm. God, she had literally blacked out, her vision blinded by light, and her mind blanking. The new haptic bodysuit had totally hijacked her senses, and it seemed during sex, had sent her into overdrive.

Managing to find a spare panty in her bag, she put it on and then looked back at the suit. She hoped he was still there, but at the same time she was too embarrassed to go find him again. She had actually blacked out in front of him!

Putting the suit back on, she logged back in and was glad she was nearer to the point where she logged out from. Outside of their usual hotel, she hesitated only for a second before heading inside. She saw the concierge manning the front desk and gave him a small wave before pointing to the stairs.

"I, um, already have a room. Just coming back," she muttered, averting her eyes.

He nodded at her before smiling sympathetically. "Look at the Intensity Levels, Miss."

She blushed heavily, nodding back before rushing past in embarrassment.

* * *

Nolan blinked at the now empty spot, before chuckling to himself and ignoring his own light blush. He might have gotten overboard, and in hindsight, the new heightened sensitivity and new sensations probably were new and too much for her. He settled himself onto the bed, kicking off his shoes and lazily digitizing his clothes off, deciding to wait for her in case she decided to come back. Part of him thought she might not, knowing there was a chance she would be too embarrassed at what happened, and the other part of him thought that she might still come back after all.

He'd like to think she was as addicted to him as he was to her.

The door opened and she slowly entered. She avoided looking at him for a moment, but he could clearly see her face was bright red.

"Don't be so embarrassed, Parzival. I'm personally glad you felt that good," Nolan told her. Then he added, smirk firmly in place, "Plus, you should know my ego has probably inflated to near god-like levels."

"S-shut up, Nolan," she grumbled, moving away from the door and heading towards him. She digitize her own clothes away and he took a moment to admire her bare form as she climbed onto the bed and crawled on it towards him. "Why do I see you again?'

He pulled her up the last inches to him, sliding a hand down and eagerly rubbing her cunt, getting her wet within seconds.

"Because I adore you," he murmured against her lips, kissing her straight after, while he slipped in a finger into her tight cunt. She gasped and her hands flew to his arms.

"W-wait!" She pushed at him and he stopped in surprise. She was panting already, shaking her head.

"Is something wrong?" he asked in concern.

"I don't…I don't think I can handle it right now," she nibbled at her lip, causing him to look at it and want to take over nibbling it himself. "I'm just…overly sensitive everywhere. Um, the front desk guy mentioned something about Intensity Levels?"

She looked utterly embarrassed at that and he decided to lay off her, though he was dying to tease her to no end. But after what happened, with the additional embarrassment of having to walk back into the hotel and all, he kept his mouth shut on the teasing.

"Right, I almost forgot," he said, tugging her closer. He wrapped an arm around her and helped her find those settings, ignoring the General Sensitivity levels and heading towards the Advanced Sensitivity settings. "Some of these won't pop up unless you're in an area like this, so you don't have to worry about those," he told her. He swiped to a page and then pointed out the Intensity Levels. "These deal with your body. The General Sensitivity Intensity levels deal with gaming and regular interactions with others and the environment, so you have a normalized sensitivity level. These can override them if you want, or you can specialize the situations —like for eating in the OASIS or," he gestured to them. "Sex."

He tapped on the main Intensity Level and whistled. "No wonder you blacked out. It's straight onto level 10."

Parzival hid her face against his shoulder. "What level do you have yours on?"

"8," he shrugged with his other shoulder. "But I've gotten used to the levels. I still wouldn't go up to 10, but 8's high enough and I get a good enough reaction feel. I might sometimes go for the 9 setting, but not often and not unless with a partner I really like or trust enough. At least on some level. I highly ever really like people or trust anyone," he shrugged again. Which was true; there were times where he used it to get off easier, if he had a partner that he either wasn't that into or who wasn't able to get him off. Sometimes it was because he was bored. Not that he was going to tell her that. But he had yet to really go on 9 with someone _just_ because he really liked them and would be able to have a greater time of it with them. Although, as he glanced at Parzival, he might have to see about trying it out with her.

"7," she said. "I'll go for 7 for now. I don't think I can handle 8 yet, and 9 and 10 is out of the question."

He tapped her interface controls and set the number to 7, confirming it and was about to shut it off when she stopped him.

"What are those?" she asked, tapping the Extras setting. "What's that about squirting or gaping —"

His eyes widened and he exited out of her interface. He coughed. "Ah, those are just some extra settings I told you about, the ones that pop up for places like these. Next time," he brushed it off, not wanting to explain, especially since she seemed clueless.

Instead, Nolan pushed her back onto the bed, laying on his side next to her as he slid his hand down. He smirked widely.

"Now, let's try out that setting level, why don't we?"

For Wade...Hell if the rest of the night was as much torturous as it was blindingly pleasurable. She was just glad she didn't pass out again.

One Walk of Shame back to the room was enough. She didn't think she'd be able to log back into the OASIS and do that a second time.

* * *

Nolan felt utterly relaxed, memories of the night before (and this morning) filling him with smug pride and still in a pleasured state. But now he was also eager and excited to meet Wade, finally face to face in some manner.

When she told him what she looked like before, everything she said put herself down in every way. It frustrated him and inwardly he knew that he would think she was absolutely pretty.

Sighing in slight aggravation, he adjusted the mask he wore and pushed back the cape from his left shoulder as he slumped forward in his seat, resting his chin on his gloved hand. He did say he was going to dress up as the Phantom for her, but he could do without the odd looks. Sure, the OASIS was home to all sorts of avatars, but right now he was in the "Town of Beginnings" that was set up on the World Seed planet.

Arms were thrown around him, hugging him tight and making him aware of soft breasts pressing against his back.

"In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came~" her voice sang lightly, playfully.

He turned around in her arms and saw who he assumed was Wade. Her short dark hair swayed as she moved away and eyes the color of jade were watching him warmly from a cherubic face.

 _Goddamn_ , she was _cute_.

"Wade?" he asked to make certain, his voice sounding faint to his ears.

"Lacero, is that you?" she asked, smiling shyly while her hands fiddled with the Christine 'Think of Me' dress nervously.

Fuck, fuck, he wasn't expecting to feel out of sorts at the sight of her, and feel both endeared and turned on by her innocent and shy demeanor.

"That's me," he forced on a grin, trying not to think bad thoughts. "It's nice to finally talk to you 'in person.'"

She laughed. "Yeah, it is. This is my school avatar, so it's more or less what I look like," she explained. "I figure since it's 'Wade3' you first met, I might as well show up in that avatar. I have a different avatar I usually use though. It's prettier than this."

He frowned, standing up and coming closer. He tucked in her hair behind her ear.

"I know you have a crappy outlook on yourself, but you shouldn't," he said sternly. " _I_ personally think you're pretty fucking cute."

Since he was being honest…

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. "Actually, I think you're really pretty," he teased, grinning at her.

She waved him off, pushing him lightly. "Lacero! Stop being such a tease!"

"I may be teasing, but I'm not lying," he swore.

"I still think you'd like my other avatar better," she shrugged. "But I like your avatar! Toshiro?"

He shrugged, still grinning. "I know you like anime, so I figured I'd shop around for a good-looking character to show off to you with." He'd worked hard to come up with a new avatar as an alternate to his normal one, not wanting her to put two and two together. Having known she liked anime helped, and he'd searched around for popular characters until he found one that was agreeable to him, and made additional changes to fit his personal taste. It was good to know that he was still good at designing avatars.

"I do like Bleach and older Hitsugaya is very handsome," she giggled. "Although, considering our meeting place, it might've been more appropriate for us to dress up as Kirito and Asuna."

"Next time," he rocked on the balls of his feet, feeling energized and happy.

"I should still show you my other avatar just in case, so you can recognize it if I'm around the OASIS. I'm usually in that avatar anyway," she said and brought up her interface, changing around profiles and then bringing up her avatar settings. Picking her normal account, she changed in front of him.

He lost his grin and nearly stumbled back.

The familiar form of Parzival stood in front of him.

Started 7/5/18 — Completed 7/15/18

 **A/n: Geez, this became hella long. All of a sudden it's climbed up to over 7k works (it's almost 8k!). Well, I hope you guys are happy with it and enjoyed the chapter. Thanks to everyone who reviewed and alerted/favorited! Please remember to take time and review this chapter!**

* * *

 **Quick Points:**

1\. **Nolan's sister** : She doesn't have a name. She's canon though, so she's not an OC –I just felt like naming her Charlotte (shrugs). Charlotte Sorrento flows well, doesn't it? :D

2\. **Book!Nolan vs. Movie!Nolan:** Urk, this has been weird. Personally, I get the feeling that in the book, he's a lot more cold and harsh, where in the movie he's kind of adorkable (he totally is, especially as an intern for Halliday XD). As you can see, I'm trying to meld the personalities somehow. Crossing my fingers it's working.

3\. **Movie/Book** : See above, though more to do with plot and canon. Seriously, it's a pain. I do hope things make sense though.

4\. **Avatars** : Nolan's regular account, as in the movie, looks like Alex Ross' Superman. His alt avatar that he created is based on Toshiro Hitsugaya from Bleach. As for Wade, her normal account, to echo canon male!Wade from movie/book looking like Dante (Devil May Cry), I chose Lightning Farron from Final Fantasy XIII (since in a lot of pictures her hair looks very silverish). Her Wade3 account (and consequently how she looks like in RL) is Lucy Hale, if you didn't recognize her from the cover).


	7. Can You Trust Me?

Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.  
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.  
Set as an AU genderbending fic.  
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.  
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

 _ **A/n: Full version at Ao3, as usual.**_

 **The Cigarette Duet  
** _Chapter Seven: Can You Trust Me?_

"I'm prettier this way, right?"

Nolan's voice was stuck in his throat, unable to come out and say anything. All he could do was stare at her, even as she begun to look uncertain.

Because Wade was Parzival.

He didn't know what was the worst of it. That all along, he'd been sleeping with an underage minor? That she was _so so_ much _younger_ than him?

'They had just been talking', he'd once claimed in the beginning. Nothing was wrong. Except…that wasn't true. Unknowingly, he _had_ touched her. He _had_ slept with her. Repeatedly.

Her being younger than him had been an issue he'd pushed aside because they were just talking and had become friends. They hadn't touched each other or become intimate in any way. It had made it okay in his eyes.

But in the end, he actually had slept with her and if he was being truthful…he was meeting her now, wasn't he? What was he expecting would happen? It would've eventually degraded into something like that if they'd kept meeting —or did he not confess, when he was at his most deranged, how much he'd wanted _Wade_ as much as he'd desired Parzival? Something he'd agonized over because he hadn't wanted to hurt Parzival when he cared about her, and yet longed to have another? This…this _simplified_ everything! It solved that problem!

Dear God, he wanted to laugh hysterically. Both of the women of his darkest, base desires were actually one and the same, and yet nothing could be more horrible. She was a high school girl years younger than him, and yet the animal in him craved her still. Maybe that's why he proposed this meeting after all —so it would initiate all this, lead to him having Wade as well. He was a horrible person after all. Who knows what was going on in the deep recesses of his goddamn miserable mind?

When it came to her, he always became honest, right? She always fucking made him too honest. Part of him briefly wondered if this was some sort of setup, some way to bring Nolan Sorrento to his knees. Maybe create some blackmail to hold over him, or even create some sort of evidence to send him to jail? Statutory rape was still a thing in this state and he was doomed on that front.

' _But she was 17 and probably almost 18,'_ his mind whispered tauntingly.

Yet, even as he thought about her potential betrayal, he dismissed the thought immediately —Wade wasn't like that. For one, _no one_ (and he was absolutely sure on this) knew anything about his old username or would ever connect Lacero to him. For another, _he_ was the one who'd approached Parzival that night, not the other way around. Even more, every interaction he'd had with either of her personas felt real and sincere, and he was well acquainted with liars. Wade wasn't one, especially with the bare emotions she always seemed to be unable to keep from him. Unlike him, she wasn't capable of reeling in her emotions and keeping them from showing. She wore her heart on her sleeve and he was just the type of man to take advantage of that.

He'd always wanted to be more than friends with Wade, he realized. The moment she'd randomly popped into his life, asking him to kill her boredom, he hadn't understood the significance of their first meeting.

Nolan was going to hell. He was going to hell and he was probably diving head first into it. If she wanted to eat his heart, he'd tear it out of his chest and serve it to her on a silver platter.

This whole mess between them, this unsavory but fateful meeting of their souls, this convoluted tangle of their personas and alter egos in the OASIS…they'd made this mess. Why fight it?

He felt her move closer to him before he saw her, and her hand tentatively touched his.

"L-Lacero? Um, did I say something wrong?"

He took a deep breath and bit down on his tongue, wishing he was in the real world and could feel the pain tenfold while blood spilled in his mouth.

"No, you're fine. I'm not," he confessed. What could he say? What could he reveal? Lacero was important to her. Not Nolan, not in this way. He wouldn't take Lacero away from her. "I just…your avatar is pretty. And I _am_ struck by it. But you want the truth?" His hands moved to grasp her face and he gazed into that horribly familiar face of Parzival. Lips he'd kissed again and again and he was struck by the ironic thought that he couldn't now because she didn't know him as he was.

"I still prefer the real you," he said breathily, feeling her face warm up and watching that red flush on her in desire. She had always done things to him with that blush as Parzival, but now he knew it was also Wade and it magnified his want so much more.

"O-oh," Wade stuttered. "Really? I've always…I've always thought I was plain and even kind of chubby —"

Part of him wanted to lash out at whoever put these stupid thoughts into her head. To make her feel so low and degrade herself like this…

"Nonsense," he straightened up and plastered a smile on his face. Normal. He had to act normal. "I think you put yourself down too much and don't notice just how cute you are," he smirked and tapped her nose.

She pouted and goddamn he wanted to kiss those lips right now. "M'not cute. Stop saying that."

"Never," he declared. He grabbed her hand. "Come on, let's go grab a table and talk. It's our first meeting after all."

He was such a liar.

They found a park instead and sat down under a tree. Nolan was tempted to ask her to revert back to her school avatar, both because he was uncomfortable with being faced with the girl he'd been having sex with and now knowing she was a minor, but also because a part of him really did want to see the real her. He wanted the real Wade and he wanted to get to know and be with the real her from now on. But she seemed more at ease like this, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Um…I was wondering…if you wanted to go gunting with me sometime?" she asked shyly. "I haven't had much time or really be able to do much gunting, and I've even been missing the races. I just…I kind of got really stuck on you and another…friend I'd made, and then there was some stuff in real life…I don't know, I thought it'd be cool to do stuff with you. Not just gunting either," she waved her hand around them. "I'd really like to spend time doing stuff with you. We could go visit the SAO worlds here, clear levels, go Questing, maybe we could visit some of the other planets and do things there…"

Briefly, Nolan felt jealous of the mention of this other 'friend', who he guessed was the same one she talked about before in the blog. Then the hysteria came back as he realized that _he_ was this other friend. Oh God, he'd been jealous of himself this entire time!

"Sorry, you're probably busy. Work and all, right?" she hurriedly said and he mentally shook himself out of his thoughts.

He gave her a strained smile. "No, work isn't really that much of a problem. Just trying to, uh, think of when I can clear my schedule for when we can hang out and do those things. I'd love to spend any kind of time with you."

He hadn't gone gunting for a long time. He'd only started anyway because he'd been so gung ho on destroying the OASIS and had managed to catch IOI's attention then. He couldn't even remember just having fun in the OASIS either, exploring the multitude of worlds. He'd been single-mindedly focused on his goal.

"What do you think of Nolan Sorrento?" he found himself asking. She was here now…didn't know Lacero was him, could give a free and honest answer…He wanted to know what she really thought of him and this situation presented a good opportunity.

But he was both afraid and wary to hear from her. He knew he wasn't well-liked and despite sleeping with him, Wade was also a gunter and part of that culture and people who were firmly adverse to him and his company.

"Why do you ask?" Her voice went quiet and it surprised him.

He played nonchalant. "Well, he's obviously a major player in this egg hunt and I know you're a gunter. Isn't he and IOI just a bunch of…jerks? I don't know."

Wade looked away from him, fumbling with the skirt of her dress.

"Maybe," she said softly and Nolan inwardly winced. "But…but I think he's probably not all that bad."

That made him blink and stare at her. She was looking at her lap now, her fingers continuously picking at the cloth.

"He's got a really bad reputation, doesn't he?' she asked aloud, looking thoughtful. He kept silent, continuing to watch her. She looked to him anxiously. "Actually, there's something I want to tell you. Do you promise not to talk about it to anyone?"

"I promise," he said, feeling anxious himself now. What would be concerning her?

"I met him," she admitted and Nolan's jaw almost dropped. "I met Nolan sometime ago. He's…he's not a jerk. Or an asshole. Not to me at least. Actually, I think he's a good person deep down," she said defensively.

Nolan just stared at her, making her fidget. Dear God, she was defending _him_ to him. There was even more irony piling down on him.

"I ended up sleeping with him," she admitted as well and he nearly jerked back in surprise. "I…I told you how I was having a really bad morning and day, right? You helped a lot when I met you in that chat, but then I still had to come home. I have a really crappy home, Lacero, and I'd rather stay in the OASIS forever than be there."

That made him angry, flashes of his sister going through his mind, and he knew he looked it too when she shook her head at the sight of him.

"You don't understand! I don't want to live with my aunt and her boyfriend. My aunt's never wanted me there and Rick is a disgusting pig. That night, she was yelling at me to get a job as an escort and stop being useless and I just ran away from there. I ran and hid in the OASIS, but I kept going until I found myself in a Red A area and in front of the escort building, and oh my God, I really actually considered doing it," she started sniffling, while Nolan felt himself burn with fury but also frozen in shock and denial.

"I was going to go in there and be one because at least maybe I could get some money and I could buy a place and get the hell away from them," Wade's hand gripped her skirt tightly. "I was desperate and upset enough that I would've gone in there. You know what stopped me?"

"What?" he asked, voice thick and heavy with emotion.

"Nolan Sorrento ran across me and asked me out for drinks," she said, voice going high and she laughed with tears in her eyes. "Oh God, it was so out there. I said yes to him and I keep saying yes to him, because if I hadn't then, I would've become a whore and I would've been miserable. Instead, I met him and he made me feel so wonderful and adored for once, that I don't think he understands how much I owe him. If I hadn't met him and went along with him, I would've sold myself."

At that moment, Nolan had never been so glad to have run across her that night and to have made the choice to approach her. The thought that she would've gone into that building, to have chosen to be a prostitute out of desperation, made his stomach churn. A part of him felt relieved that things had happened as it did, and he was happy to have been able to have unknowingly helped her out of her misery and saved her from a choice she would've regretted.

He hadn't known what was going on with her then or what she'd been thinking, but now that he did, he felt torn between anger and sorrow. To know she felt this much about him, both as Lacero and Nolan, made him feel as happy as he did guilty, because he was still lying and keeping things from her when she was clinging onto him with all her might.

"Then I'm glad he approached you and helped you," he told her solemnly. 'I'm glad I did' burned on his tongue, but he kept it silent. "And you know what? I think he probably adores you too. He's still with you now, isn't he? He's not known for having partners, casual or not, and I think you mean a great deal to him."

She blinked away tears and looked at him in astonishment.

"You think so?" she asked, shy again.

He smiled gently at her. "I do."

She smiled slightly to herself. "I…hope so. I…kind of really, really like him, you know?" Wade lightly blushed as she watched the virtual grass swaying with the wind. "I hope he likes me back, even if a little bit," she muttered quietly.

Nolan swallowed heavily.

* * *

Nolan lay back in his chair, staring at the ceiling in his office. His door opened after a few knocks and his assistant and head of his operations in the physical world poked her head in, observing him curiously.

"Sir?"

"I'm fine, F'Nale," he said stoically. "Go oversee the workers in the Loyalty Centers."

His assistant paused by his doors before inclining her head. "Very well, sir."

Alone again, Nolan contemplated his liquor cabinet. Why the hell not? He'd had revelation after revelation hit him that day. He needed something to buckle down with. Heading over there, he bypassed the glasses and went straight for the bottle. He carried it back with him to his desk and tried to collect himself.

He was supposed to meet her tonight. He could skip it of course. There was no way he could —or _should_ —continue on with this affair. She was a minor and he was a high profile person. It would be a mercy to her too; she wouldn't be caught connected to the likes of him. She'd be ostracized by others in her community for seeing "the Devil". And then there was everyone else, especially in the real world.

Who was the girl Nolan Sorrento was seeing? What was she like, what did she do? What did she look like?

They'd hound her; the press, the paparazzi, the world. She'd have no peace because of him. That was without the scandal of her age and the age gap between them.

He should stay away from her. He was the adult after all. He was clearly taking advantage.

Nolan laughed aloud. _He was drunk off of her_. How the hell could he ever stay away from her? The answer was that he couldn't. No, that he _wouldn't_.

If he was making his choice, he was making it now and he decided that he would continue on with this thing between them. Because he did adore her and nothing or anyone was going to tell him otherwise; like hell he'd be kept away from her.

He couldn't stay away from Wade and he didn't want to.

He snatched up his IM Interface, using it as opposed to his regular computer interface. The chat channel between them was already opened, so he just pinged her.

 _Hey, I know we just met up this morning, but I was wondering how are you?_

It took a bit, but after a minute, he finally got a reply.

 _I'm always glad to hear from you! I miss you already anyway, so I don't care if we're talking all day :) I'm doing ok. You?_

 _Alright._ Nolan paused and thought about this next part, but set his lips into a determined frown. _I was surprised by how cute you were. I didn't think I'd be so affected. I knew you were cute in personality, but you've got a cute face to match._

There. Nolan took a swig from the bottle and snickered to himself. He was probably coming onto her a little strong, but hey —'Lacero' was a little late in the game after all. His regular self was in the lead, but his alter ego needed to catch up. That and since he'd made his decision by her, all 'sides' of him was going to express interest in her.

He wanted her and she was his wholeheartedly. The opposite just seemed to be true as well; Nolan and Lacero were all hers, just like Wade and Parzival were his.

"Darling, oh darling, I want some more," he leaned back in his chair and took a large gulp of whiskey. "I'm such a masochist for you, baby."

This was all sorts of wrong and he knew it. But he was such a mess about her.

 _Really? Thank you_.

Her late response prompted a chuckle out of him, as he could see her stuttering and blushing as she said that. Too bad he wasn't face to face with her right now. She'd probably taken so long to give him that short reply because she'd become so flustered.

 _You're so pretty, darling. I don't see how anyone couldn't see that or tell you that…or not want to kiss those lips of yours. You're probably surrounded by idiots._

Nolan took another large gulp out of the bottle before typing again.

 _If it was me? If I was younger, I wouldn't have minded being completely yours._

There was probably a place in hell reserved just for him.

* * *

Wade hummed as she swung her legs back and forth. Unlike others in the past, she usually watched memories wherever. The Curator had the ability to play Halliday's memories where he wanted, so she didn't always go into the Memory Halls. She liked to just sit at random places and watch them, and Q usually joined her.

"Hey, hey, George! Play the one with Kira," she giggled, face warm and hugging her knees to herself.

"I think I preferred Gandalf than _George_ ," Q told her dryly.

She giggled again. "Okay then, _Gandalf_."

He rolled his eyes, though he did end up eying her. "You're in a good mood," he commented. Her blush darkened. "Oh yes, you're clearly very happy."

She looked at him shyly. "I haven't told you this, but I, um, met someone. Two people actually."

"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow. "Do tell, Parzival."

"What do you really think of Nolan Sorrento?" she asked suddenly.

For some reason, that gave him a pause and she waited as patiently as she could, though she grew nervous.

"He's…different than how he was before," Q said slowly. "In Halliday's memories, the Nolan Sorrento that people speak of now was a much different person. It's…funny actually. Halliday remembered him as an optimistic, happier and eager to help intern. Something happened one day though, and he…was much more cynical. He quit a little after that and then sometime after Halliday's death, he resurfaced as an IOI agent. Now look where he is."

Wade fidgeted nervously before speaking. "He's not a bad guy," she said softly.

"I know," Q said and tipped his head towards her.

She hesitated. "The thing is…I met him, Q. In one of my bad moods."

He stayed quiet, but his gaze was solemn and serious on her. And when he was like that, she couldn't help blurting out everything, telling him what happened and leaving nothing out like she had when she decided to tell Aech. The Curator had always been able to pry things out of her without much effort, simply by his serious gaze. It always made her feel like she was being gazed over by her father, or what she guessed was what a paternal gaze would feel like.

Q sighed, looking up at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"It's good to know that there's a side of him that exists that isn't the man everyone else sees him as," he said plainly. "And I'm pleased to see you in a happier mood these days. Just be careful, won't you? Sorrento is still a very cunning and ambitious man, but more than that, he does have his dark side."

She blinked, even as he patted her head gently. "I'm glad you're happy with him, but just be mindful. Be careful," he reiterated.

"Okay," she answered, hesitant again. "Although, it's really not just him. There's this other man too…"

Lacero was someone important to her as well, and she hadn't mentioned him to anyone before. But after their meeting that morning and the way he'd strangely contacted her after…

He'd been flirting with her. She wasn't sure, because she was always uncertain and unsure of herself anyway, but she was pretty certain enough to think that he'd been —rather aggressively —flirting with her in their chat. And the truth was that he'd always been important to her from the start and she'd always felt attached to him. A part of her had felt an attraction, but knowing their age difference and the fact that they were friends (and she didn't want to mess that up) had made her not pay too much attention to that attraction. But then they'd actually met and then he was acting strangely and flirting with her, and it was like the floodgates had been opened.

"I really, really like him, Q," she confessed quietly. And after an unsure beat, she reluctantly added, "Like I really like Nolan."

Q examined her closely. "I see. So you _like_ this Lacero man. And earlier, when you talked about Sorrento and talked about being happy with him, you meant…"

She looked down at her feet and watched them swing halfheartedly. Q moved closer and sat on the tabletop with her.

"You're in love with both of these men, I presume."

"Pretty much," she muttered, twisting her fingers around each other depressingly. " _Can_ you be in love with two people?"

"I don't know," Q answered her. "I do not have the programming or knowledge of such a thing. I do know that you are an honest girl and I believe your feelings are sincere. For both of them."

"What do I do?" she asked him desperately. "I've never felt this way before, and now I do for _two_ men!"

"This may be cheesy, but I think it's a good idea for you to do your best to follow your heart," he advised. "If they're both important to you and you really care for them, perhaps you should let them know and tell them the situation. If either men know you have feelings for themselves and another, then it's up to them to try their best to win you over, won't it? Or you may find yourself eventually feeling more for one than the other. Let things happen naturally and see where it all goes, Parzival."

She took a deep breath and gave him a thankful smile.

"Thanks, Q! I can always count on you."

"Now…perhaps you'd like to view some of Halliday's memories of Sorrento instead? He's got quite a collection and no one else knows or has seen them…"

She wouldn't tell him that, because it might sound a little pathetic, but the Curator had always strangely felt like the father she wished she'd had growing up.

* * *

Nolan stood outside the bar, leaning against it as he tilted his head, eyes closed as he contemplated this meeting. It would be like every other meeting of theirs…normally, had he not discovered the truth. It really wouldn't be too late for him to leave now, to turn back and stop himself from this.

He should stay away from there.

"Fuck," he muttered and he opened his Items Storage to pick out a cigarette, lighting it up and taking a long drag. It wasn't as strong or as effective as it would have in the real world, but it was still damn good and had most of the effects with practically none of the consequences of real smoking. And right now he needed something to perk him up.

He didn't know what to do. He wanted Wade so bad, but he knew it wasn't right and she would be upset if she knew the truth. Which was another thing. He was lying to her now, not letting her know the truth about him and 'Lacero'. Lacero was her confidant and friend, but if he could maybe get him to the level she was comfortable and attracted to him as Nolan, then maybe he could ease her into the truth. But that could still take some time and she would be hurt by the lying either way.

Why should he keep up the ruse anyway? Sure, she would be mortified at the fact she'd talked about Nolan to himself, but they could get over that.

He was pushing the limit, making whatever excuses and reasons he could accept so he could be with her, but even if she was underage, she wouldn't be for long. He was sure of it.

And it was Wade. Wade who he found that he couldn't keep himself from and who he adored to the point of obsession, he could admit.

But that was the point wasn't it? She was still someone he couldn't have, despite it all. Even if she turned 18 and was within theoretical reach, they'd started off on the wrong track. They'd been together before it was allowed to be, the two of them had kept secrets and personas quiet from the other, and he was lying about Lacero just as she was lying about Parzival. And if the truth about Lacero was known, then she'd know (and he'd have to acknowledge) that the gap between their ages and the very illegal side of their relationship.

As himself, he hadn't known about her age until recently, and she had kept quiet about it this entire time. As Lacero, he'd known Wade was a high school girl, but things had been kept platonic. If everything collided, that was a mess they'd have to deal with. There was no more separation —Wade and Parzival was the same, and if he'd slept with Parzival, that meant he had slept with Wade and platonic had never existed between them (not that it ever really had). He hadn't known Parzival's age before, but he'd known Wade's, and since the two were the same, he now knew the truth and there wasn't any more hiding from it.

He turned around and placed his forehead against his arm, his hand leaning against the wall. His other hand held the cigarette away from him as he tried to keep his thoughts from spiraling around.

"Hey you," her voice was soft but concerned as she hugged him from behind, her presence sudden. She reached over and plucked the cigarette from his fingers and he turned around to face her.

She looked at him in concern and it did something to him to have someone who obviously really cared for him for once. She gave him a quirky smile while putting the cigarette to her lips, tilting her head and experimentally taking a smoke. She coughed and accidentally spat out the cigarette, which dropped to the ground, making him laugh. He reached for her and kissed her.

When he pulled back, he was already leading the way out of there.

Wade laughed (yes, Wade —he could definitely call her that in his head now). "Someone's eager."

He swallowed at that, thinking about it. "Yeah, I am," he said simply.

Without a pause, Nolan headed to their hotel and past the concierge, having already set up an arrangement with the place a long time ago. At their room, he placed his palm against the sensor and it registered his ID code, opening to allow them in.

"I want to try something different," he told her. "Do you trust me?" He suddenly felt nervous.

She blinked before smiling widely at him. "Of course I do," she said before becoming a little shy.

Fuck, he really loved her turning shy around him. It made him all sorts of aroused and hot under the collar.

"Okay, hold on a second," he muttered. He disappeared for a moment, heading to the room's accessory box and opened it, shuffling through most of it for the simpler stuff. A gag was unneeded; he wanted to hear her. He wanted her voice to beg and scream for him, to become needy and desperate for Nolan to make her reach her peak. But while he adored her eyes, it would help to heightened sensitivity by negating it.

And make her not question his choice to muffle her hearing too.

Coming back to her, she looked curious at the muffler and the blindfold, but said nothing as she waited patiently on the bed, having removed her clothing already. She let him place the blindfold on before she said anything.

"Kinky," her lips twitched up. "So we're going to kink things up?"

"You could say that," he said, playing along. "I would tie you up too, but we'll work up to that. Lay back, Parzival," he ordered.

She lay back and wiggled her way up higher on the bed. He followed her along, licking his lips nervously.

"This too," he held up the soft mufflers to her face and letting her feel them, and she waited for him to place them on her ears. "Can you hear me?" he tested.

When she showed no reaction, he dragged his hand down her face and down her neck to her shoulder. He squeezed it.

"Wade, can you hear me?" he tried again and sighed in relief when she again didn't react. He climbed on top of her, still wearing his clothes, and held her face in his hands.

"I'm a toxic man, darling," he breathed out. "I'm toxic for you and I'm pretty sure our relationship is toxic. But I said you were my personal poison, so let me be yours."

After all, he'd never been a man in love before.

"Nolan," she called out breathily, her hands grasping at his arms.

He kissed her long and hard, exploring her mouth with fervor before seeking out her tongue to wrestle with. He continued grinding and kissing her, while he blindly searched out her legs and lifted them, placing them up high and adjusting them over his shoulders. He kissed her ankles several times.

"Wade, I wish I could see you in the real world and ravish you properly," he moaned, more so as he listened to her whimpers. "To taste you for real. To be able to touch you for real. Darling, I want you to be really mine."

What wouldn't he give to be able to really make love to her with his real body, to touch _her_ real body. He would show her how to really feel good and make sure she was utterly pleased, all blissed out and content from their lovemaking.

"I'd want you to stay with me," he murmured. He'd give her everything she wanted; all the jewelry, clothes…whatever she'd asked for. They could have a life together; he was convinced of it. He'd have to somehow convince her of it too.

"N-Nolan, I'm going to —!"

He was so bad for her, but there was no way he could keep himself from her.

Started 7/23/18 — Completed 7/23/18

 **A/n: I have too much fun with and adore tormented/obsessive Nolan. Seriously, this guy…Fair warning though –while this chapter was depressing in a way, the next one will be** _ **super**_ **depressing and the trigger warnings will come into effect. Thanks for the support, everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, so please remember to review!**

* * *

 **Quick Points:**

1\. I listened to last chapter on FFN's app audio thing, and I laughed so hard. Their audio chapter thing is actually not too bad, but last chapter, I love the fact I can hear Nolan's thoughts in audio with a woman cursing when he cursed or the sex scenes came up. Hilarious XD

* * *

 **Anon Reviews:**

1\. AnonAnon: Ah, thank you! Did like the chapter? It went dark though, lol~


	8. It'll Make You Sick, Girl

Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.  
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.  
Set as an AU genderbending fic.  
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.  
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

 _ **Trigger Warning: Mind the Tags –Forced drug and alcohol use.**_

 **The Cigarette Duet  
** _Chapter Eight: It'll Make You Sick, Girl_

She was sleeping so peacefully. It was hard to believe she had any troubles like this…Then again, every other moment her eyebrows would scrunch together and he'd wonder (and worry) about what was going through her mind in her sleep.

Now that Nolan knew about her and what she'd been through, he could give a few guesses.

"My sister didn't let anyone in or let anyone help her," he murmured, brushing her hair out of her face. It was thankfully smoothed out and peaceful again. "Don't do the same…She'd pushed me away, but I won't let you do the same."

Even if he had to be this possessive asshole that would potentially scare her off, at least he could make sure that she wouldn't go into this downward spiral and go to a place he wouldn't be able to follow.

He leaned in and kissed her forehead and that's when her eyes fluttered and then slowly opened. She gave him a sleepy smile.

"Hey," she greeted softly. "What time is it?"

Nolan shrugged with his free shoulder. "Don't know. Don't really care," and he leaned in again, this time kissing her lips.

She kissed him back but pulled away after a bit, giving him an amused look. "Don't you have work?"

"I'm the boss," he said smugly.

Wade laughed and he wondered if she was real

"You know…the night we met?" Nolan started, watching her closely. She looked uneasy, if a bit confused. "I'm really glad I ran into you," he murmured, watching her cheeks go pink.

"That's… sentimental," she nibbled on her lip, looking at her pillow. Then she peeked up at him. "I, um…that night, I was in a really bad place. So…I'm glad I met you too. I don't think I'd be really happy right now, if I hadn't."

He was surprised that she had actually admitted that to him in the first place, especially face to face. But he was pleased too, because it meant she trusted him. Or at least he hoped that was what it meant.

Making a decision, he pulled up his interface and sent her a friend request, including his contact information. She saw him do so, eyes widening.

"Nolan?"

"If you need to contact me, or just…need me in any way," he told her firmly. "I'm there. No matter what."

"Oh! R-really?" she asked, looking beside herself and fully confused now.

"Yes," he told her. "I promise, Parzival."

She continued to look taken aback before she looked at him in scrutiny. Then her lips upturned a little, a bit bittersweet, a bit sad, but also a bit happy.

"My name is Wade Watts. I'm 16 years old and I'm a huge gunter. I used to think you were this awful jerk and asshole."

"And now?" he asked, watching her closely.

"I think you're the most amazing man I've ever met," she said quietly.

Nolan stilled. He didn't think anyone would've ever said that about him, and she was probably the only person to even think that.

"C'mere," he muttered, pulling her along as he got off the bed. Confused, she followed along and let him guide her. He momentarily left her side to mess with the controls of the room, played a song, and then returned to her.

She looked at him uncertainly, while he held out a hand. When she tentatively placed one of hers on his, he took it and pulled her closer to him, placing his other hand on her waist.

They swayed together and he could feel the contentedness building in him.

He imagined it could be like this in the real world for them.

* * *

Blissfully, Wade lay in her bed and stared up at the ceiling. Last night had been…it was incredible and then after she'd fallen asleep and woken up to a strangely tender Nolan, the sweet, intimate dance they shared had been full of silent promises and genuine affection.

Part of her had always thought, unhappily, that this was at most just sex, even if it was now between 'sort of' friends. But now she was scrambling to understand where the two of them stood now.

Wade also now was privy to his contact information and an implied open invitation to talk to him whenever.

It made her kind of…giddy.

After all, the idea that Nolan Sorrento of all people trusted her enough with it, liked her enough to share that information with her…It was nothing short of amazing. She was pretty sure Nolan didn't just share his information with just anyone, especially his personal contacts.

She really wanted to call him now, to hear his voice, and maybe thank him for it —

"WAKE UP!"

Wade quietly groaned and glared at the door, reluctantly rolling off of her makeshift 'bed'. She left her so-called room to travel to the main part of the trailer, where her aunt was sitting at the table, waiting for her.

"Hurry it up," her aunt snapped at her. "You're always wasting time."

Wade clenched her jaw but said nothing. At least it looked like Rick wasn't there.

"I'm tired of you being useless," she said immediately, as soon as Wade sat down across from her. "You need to help support us."

She stared in disbelief at Alice, feeling speechless.

"I wasn't kidding before," Alice snapped at her. "Go get hired as an escort. The pay isn't bad and is something you can easily do and get hired as. If you want to continue to live here and eat and have a bed, then you better damn well start earning your keep."

Wade flinched, feeling tears prick her eyes. She didn't want to be an escort. She didn't know why her aunt had to be like this. She didn't know why taking care of Wade was such a burden to her aunt.

"Are we clear?" she snapped at Wade again.

"Crystal," she muttered, refusing to cry.

She stormed out of the trailer, angrily wiping at her eyes.

* * *

In the safety of her hideout, Wade put on her new haptic bootsuit and entered the OASIS. Taking a deep breath, she was very tempted to call on either Nolan or Lacero, but didn't want to scare them off by being so clingy. Aech was, according to his status when she looked him up, currently in a match.

Which left her to wander around alone and miserable.

Recalling the bar she was beginning to semi frequent, she headed over and wondered if she could order a drink. She felt like having one, after dealing with her aunt and now anxious about the prospect of finding a job. More so over the idea of actually getting hired to be an escort…

The bar was mostly empty, which wasn't surprising since it wasn't night nor Happy Hour, so she sat down at the bar top and perused their specials tiredly.

"What's with the long face?" Collins asked as he came over.

She gave a halfhearted grin. "Family troubles."

"Something you want to talk about?" he asked and she shook her head. "Alright. M'here if you want to talk though," he gave her a supportive smile. "So what'll it be?"

"A Hurricane?" she asked for hesitantly. "Is that sweet?"

He nodded. "Mmhm, it is. I think you'd like that one."

She watched him make it and then pour it into a small glass mug, presenting it to her with a playful flourish. She took it and gave a thankful smile before she tasted it, beginning to chug it a bit after.

She needed to find a job, but she was going to save money and get the hell away from there. She couldn't stay with her aunt anymore, especially if she seemed so unhappy with Wade there and desperate to get her out of her hair. And if she had to keep dealing with Rick…

"Is anyone hiring around here?" she asked Collins, who looked thoughtful.

"Unfortunately no," Collins said, looking apologetic. "You looking for a job?"

She sighed. "Yeah." A job that _didn't_ involve selling herself.

"I don't know of any," Collins reiterated. "You should ask your boyfriend."

Boyfriend?

Her cheeks went bright red as she realized that Collins was referring to Nolan.

"H-he's not my b-boyfriend," she stuttered, feeling mortified.

"Uh huh," he said skeptically. "In any case, you two _are_ close, so why don't you ask him? He might know something."

She blinked and realized that Collins was right and was onto something. She should probably end up asking Nolan, especially as this was the kind of thing he'd definitely know.

* * *

Nolan typed furiously on his keyboard, focused on his current work and hoping to finish it soon. He was eager to contact Wade and do so as himself.

Which meant finishing all this work he'd put off, and then be able to be free to do as he wished. Wade would hopefully be free too and maybe they could meet in the OASIS and do something other than fuck. Not that he was opposed to having sex with her —he just felt suddenly eager to be around her and just do other things, act like a couple even.

They were taking bigger and bigger steps together, and he could only hope that Wade _wouldn't_ be opposed to such a thing in the future.

He still had to figure out the whole Lacero thing though, but he was sure it wasn't a big deal and that she wouldn't be too upset in the end. It would mean that she had both of them in one and wouldn't have to split her attention between them or choose between, just as Nolan had been struggling with Parzival and Wade (only to be guiltily relieved they were the same person).

A ping alerted him and he clicked on the notification, pleased when it was the information he'd been waiting for.

Wade's address and pictures of her trailer and neighborhood stared at him in the face.

Nolan was in no way a stalker or had wanted to be. But, after hearing about Wade's home life and hearing her feelings, he wanted to be able to know where exactly she lived. While she'd told him she lived in the Stacks, he wanted to make sure he was sure about where exactly and be certain he'd be able to reach her or be able to lend her her an easier hand.

"This isn't too obsessive, right?" he muttered to himself. "Besides, I'm just trying to keep her safe and be reachable."

Really, he wasn't trying to justify himself.

Maybe just a little.

* * *

Her feet slowed as she saw the commotion. Wade stared at her Stack, her tower of trailers just loud and raucous. Some of the neighboring Stacks were the same, and she grimaced as she realized what she was coming home to.

A party.

She wavered and wondered if it was too late to go back to her hideout and stick it out there for the night, when lo and behold _Rick_ saw her. He made a beeline for her and she tried not to turn and run.

"WADE!"

Maybe she should run after all.

Too late though, he'd grabbed her arm. He laughed obnoxiously, his face red-hued and the smell of alcohol wafting from him. He was obviously drunk, making her even more wary and increasingly panicked.

"L-let go," she stuttered, starting to pull her arm from him. He held on tight.

He snorted. "Don't be such a snobby bitch. Come join in! Party's going full throttle."

She tried to pull her arm, but he turned and started to drag her after him. Her protests died on deaf ears and then they were climbing up the creaking stairs and in their particular trailer before she knew it.

Horrified, she watched the mess and crowd of bodies in the trailer, the way she saw white powder on surfaces and being snorted up, the smell of sex and alcohol in the air…

"I'll just go to my room," she forced out, finally snatching her arm from Rick and rushing to her room, pushing passed people.

She heard Rick laugh loudly behind her but she ignored him, focusing on her door. She yanked it open, only to stop and stare at the people fornicating on her little bed. It was such a small space, she couldn't imagine why _anyone_ would want to do it in there.

Slamming the door close, she backed up, only to back up into someone.

"I tried to warn you," Rick slurred in amusement, slinging an arm around her shoulders and holding onto her tight. "C'mere, Wade."

She was dragged to the couch, where so many was already sitting. A bottle was forced into her hand and she tried to give it back, only for Rick to grab it and harshly grab the hair at the back of her head, forcing her head back as he squeezed his hand around hers on the bottle and tipped it into her mouth. The initial splash of the alcohol made her gag as it dropped unexpectedly into the back of her throat. As it kept pouring, she was forced to swallow or else she'd choke on the alcohol, only managing to barely not gag.

Her eyes watered and she didn't know how long this kept going. Once he'd let go, she righted her head and coughed several times, tears spilling while she felt the burn of the alcohol against her throat still. She didn't like it. Not only had she not managed to drink it properly, but what taste she did get, she hated. It wasn't sweet like she was used to, and it was Rick who'd forced it on her.

She heard Rick chortling and others laughing around her. She shook her head.

"Please, Rick. Let me leave," she begged. She wanted to just get out of there.

"Geez, don't be a killjoy, Wade!" Rick said. "Enjoy the party! Let loose, you tight little bitch."

"I bet she _is_ tight!" someone yelled and she bit down on her lip, trying to not actually cry in front of these people.

"Stick around," Rick said, forcing her head up. "Here. Take this. _This'll_ loosen you up."

He shoved his fingers in her mouth, letting go of something, and she wanted to bite his fingers. He'd already removed them though, and before she could spit out whatever he'd forced into her mouth, he forced her mouth shut and kept his hand around her jaw, locking it up. He pinched her nose, making it impossible for her to breathe, and her lower face spasmed in his grip. In her struggle, she swallowed and whatever it was slid down her throat. He finally let go and she went into a coughing fit.

"Have fun with that, slut!" someone shouted in glee and there was a round of mocking laughter around her.

She shoved Rick away and darted to her feet, running out of there and not caring how many or whoever she pushed out of her way. Already, her body felt hot and there was a sense of nausea creeping up, the urge to throw up coming on strong. She gagged several times.

"What…what's happening?" she moaned, pressing her palms against her eyes. Her head was pounding and she dry heaved.

She stumbled around, feeling like she was dying. She didn't know where her feet led her, but she couldn't think any more.

Wade had ended up stopping and throwing up several times, just dropping to the ground of wherever she was and relieving her stomach. By the time she just collapsed in the middle of nowhere, her whole body ached and was screaming at her, and she had nothing left to throw up.

"Nggh, God make it stop," she cried, weakly turning onto her side.

Reaching into her jacket pocket with what energy she had left, she fumbled for her IM Interface and brought it as close to her mouth as she could, while pressing a button.

It called whoever was first on the list.

"H-help," she gasped out. "Please…help."

She didn't know if she could hold on any longer like this.

Started 3/17/19 — Completed 3/24/19

 **A/n: Eek! It's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm still interested and in love with this story, but real life and My Hero Academia kind of just took over. I will be doing my best to be more consistent with stories outside of Hero, and return to many of my old ones, including this one! So I hope you guys stick around and enjoyed this chapter~ Please remember to review! I love writing, but I only take the time and effort to actually post for everyone else.**

* * *

 **Quick Points:**

 **1\. Tags:** _ **Will continue to be super heavy, so please be mindful of future chapters/content.**_ The world outside the OASIS is supposed to be super shitty, so let's see how shitty. Plus, Rick has _sleeze_ written all over him.

 **2\. Nolan/Wade Twitter Thread:** I made like a mini Twitter thread on another plot for a RP1 Wade/Sorrento fic and I'm debating on whether to make it a bonus segment here or just paste an edited link…Basically, I've been dying for a 'Wade travels back in time and meets dorky Intern!Sorrento and shenanigans…but then shit happens…'. Just saying.

* * *

 **Anon Reviews:**

1\. Venus: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the story so far that much. I do apologize for the long wait, but I'm hoping to be a little more consistent depending on response. And yeah, it's sadly very dry on the Sorrento fanfic front. I wish there were more on him, especially with Wade (and it doesn't have to be a pairing either), but there's so little RP1 fanfics in the first place, and most of them center on Parzival/Artemis (and mostly romance at that). Still, since I adore genderbending, I'm relieved and happy whenever anyone says I'm doing a good job at it, so thanks for saying it's working out in here! While this story isn't exactly 'finished' elsewhere, it is (due to certain parts) more detailed in other sites, like Ao3. Hope you still like the story and want to read more!

2\. Guest: Sorry it's been a while since I last updated! I'm really hoping to write and update more regularly for this though, so fingers crossed.


	9. Don't You Love Me?

Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.  
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.  
Set as an AU genderbending fic.  
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.  
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

 _ **Trigger Warning: Mentions of past physical assault, forced alcohol and drug use.**_

 **The Cigarette Duet  
** _Chapter Nine: Don't You Love Me?_

" _When the night was full of terrors  
_ _And your eyes were filled with tears  
_ _When you had not touched me yet  
_ _Oh, take me back to the night we met~"_

 _Nolan's avatar was taller than her, but she felt happy and safe, rather than smothered. Swaying to this song, looking into his eyes, Wade could honestly say…_

" _I'll never regret meeting you."_

The soft refrain of the song was playing and Wade slowly opened her eyes. She groaned and slowly sat up, only for large hands to hold onto her arms.

"Steady there. Are you okay, Wade?"

Her eyes (at the unfamiliar but concerned voice) moved and she lightly gasped.

 _Nolan Sorrento, in his actual body, stood there in front of her._

His soft baby blues were looking worriedly at her, but he was there _in person_. He was as handsome in real life as he was in all the public appearances she'd managed to glimpse him from.

"Y-You're here," she said hesitantly. "You're really here."

She had called whoever had come up first, but she'd only had two contacts on her IM —Nolan's and Lacero's.

Wade had honestly expected Lacero to be the one to come. He was her friend (albeit, one who has been steadily and heavily flirting with her since their face to face meeting in the OASIS) and she was comfortable and relaxed with him. Not that she wasn't with Nolan. She was, but they hadn't been _completely_ personal with each other in the same way she was with Lacero, and only had recently begun being close enough like that.

Hence why she was inwardly wishing it had been the other man at the moment, and that she wasn't actually confronting and meeting Nolan in real life.

Especially given that _he_ was the one she'd been having _sex_ with for the better part of some months now.

Still…that Nolan had come to her aid, had come when she'd just randomly called and barely said anything other than to ask for help…and so soon after he'd only just given her his contact information…

Wade unwittingly let out a sob and slumped towards him, leaning her forehead against his arm.

"Thank you for coming for me," she gasped out.

She didn't think she'd even be alive at this point, if he hadn't of come.

* * *

Nolan brought her closer, amazed that Wade was actually really in front of him and that he was holding her. Even if it seemed surreal, she was solid and _real_ in his arms. But she also felt fragile and like he could break her in his arms if he wasn't careful. It scared him.

"You don't have to thank me," he softly rebutted, firming his hold around her. "You asked for help. Of course I'd come for you."

When he'd answered her call, he'd been terrified at hearing her gasping for help. He had practically flown off of his chair, uncaring how uncomposed he'd look as he rushed out of his office. He hadn't cared how harried he'd looked as he left the building in a hurry and drove his car recklessly towards where he knew her home was, grateful that he had ended up being a creepy fuck and researched her address.

It hadn't taken him long to find all the shortcuts he'd previously mapped out to her Stacks, and he'd jumped out of his car and activated the tracker he admitted he'd hid in her IM Interface before he'd given it to her, while moving towards the general area he knew is where her particular trailer tower was located. Just as he was getting closer, the tracker veered off a little and he stumbled upon her.

He'd nearly had a full on panic attack at seeing her passed out on the ground, body shaking a little and vomit near her. He almost had flashbacks, remembering his sister and going back to that day he found her dead in her haptic unit.

Nolan wasn't going to lose someone again, not in this way.

He'd determinedly picked her up slightly and turned her over, faced down while reluctantly jabbing a finger into her mouth and down her throat. Once she'd started gagging, he'd moved his finger out and let her continue to vomit out everything. Whatever drug that had gotten into her would hopefully continue to make its way out of her.

Once he was certain that she had nothing else to throw up, he'd picked her up fully and carried her back to his car, buckling her in right next to him. He drove back to the IOI building, emptied now that it was nighttime and work hours were over. He'd taken her to the building's infirmary, where the noc shift doctor was in and helped him with her. After she'd been stabilized, Nolan had been left alone with her.

She'd finally woken up after an hour of sleep and now in the present, he was just relieved she was okay now.

"Are you okay?" he asked again. "Nauseous?"

She pulled away from him a bit, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. "I feel okay…"

Her stomach growled though and he mentally sighed at himself. Of course she was hungry. She hadn't eaten in a while and he had forced her to throw up whatever else she had left in her stomach, along with what that drug had made her throw up.

"I'll be back with food," he promised and left to find food. Since she had thrown up forcibly through the drug and then him and hadn't been nauseous and still wasn't, he thought maybe foods with a little richer in taste would be fine and help clear the taste of vomit she probably could still taste in her mouth. He'd probably stick with ice cold water though…

Coming back after getting a plate of fruit, dry toast and if she could handle it, a turkey sandwich and vanilla pudding, for a moment he watched her stare off dazedly. She looked forlorn and almost like that sad girl in the midst of a pathway in the OASIS…

He had sworn he'd do anything to get her to smile and not make her sad. Nothing had changed and had in fact strengthened.

"It's not much, but if you can handle a bit more, I'll cook you up something later," he said, drawing her attention.

She gave him another grateful look as he sat down and put the plate down in front of her. For a moment, he let her eat before he said anything.

"What happened?" he asked, dreading hearing she'd taken drugs.

Wade made a face, looking away with her jade green eyes that he admired behind her thick eyeglasses. It was fascinating to see her real eye color in real life, knowing how her preferred avatar had blue eyes. Even seeing her school-issued avatar didn't compare since the colors were muted and augmented, as was the usual in the VR school.

"Rick happened," she said bitterly and alarm flashed through him. He recognized that name from the very few times Wade's aunt's boyfriend had been brought up. It was always brief and unhappy, and with a negative connotation.

She sniffled. "Every once and a while, the Stacks throw a party. It's a shitty party with shitty people. Sometimes Rick hosts it or prods it along, but no matter what, he'll always attend. This time, I know he was involved. I should've never entered my trailer."

Nolan's hand shot out to grab one of hers and squeeze it. She was startled, looking at him through teary eyes. She grimaced.

"There were strangers everywhere and they were all loud, disgusting, and drunk or high. Or both. But Rick had dragged me into the place and I couldn't run away, except when I was inside the trailer and rushing to my room to escape everything. But people were _in there and having sex and oh my god, there's no way I can go back there and sleep on my bed knowing that_."

Wade buried her face into her hands and Nolan clenched his jaw as he got up and held her again. That was outrageous! What was wrong with those people? How could they do that to her and subject her to be around that?

"But then that was the least of my problems," Wade muttered before she told him what happened after.

He was fucking horrified. They'd _forced alcohol into her_ and then _drugged_ her. That was just…To do that and even practically sexually harass her, saying all those degrading things to his sweet Wade…

Nolan was tempted to blow up that entire place, and target that specific Stack of trailers.

While relieved she hadn't willingly taken drugs, he also almost wished she had than to know someone had been this cruel to her.

She looked at him then, wonderment in her eyes and vulnerability on her face, and her hand trembled as she reached out and touched his face. She took a deep breath that he found himself echoing.

"But you found me. Somehow you found me and you saved me."

Even if he had done so doing using less than savory methods, he didn't regret a thing —not when he could've been late or not been able to reach her at all.

"You should sleep," Nolan reluctantly said. "I'll have the doctor come check on you, but he's certain the drug's left your system and that you should just keep hydrated and rested."

He'd stood up, but her hand quickly grabbed onto his before he could step away from her.

"Don't leave me," she pleaded and he could read the hurt all over her. Tonight had been hard on her.

"Okay," he said and sat back down, squeezing her hand in reassurance.

She was hurting so much, so the least he could do was hurt with her tonight.

* * *

Wade had woken up early, the sounds of people around her making her confused and wary until she fully was aware and remembered what had happened. She saw Nolan then, still in the seat that he'd sat in by her side, and knowing he'd be uncomfortable and yet had stayed for her…

After dealing with her aunt and Rick yesterday, her body and mind felt battered. She was feeling nothing but hurt, and then this man had tossed her a lifeline that she never thought she'd get.

Wade thought she'd die all alone for a moment, lying on the ground and feeling like her whole world was upended.

Nolan had been there. Was still here for her.

Another rush of gratitude filled her and she was sitting up, leaning towards him.

"Ah, you're awake!"

She straightened up in alarm and both the doctor who'd entered and her reaction had caused Nolan to startle awake. He glanced at her and then the doctor, before he stood up.

"Dr. Maryland informed me of Ms. Watts' condition and her entry last night," the doctor smiled at them. "I'll be taking over. Hello, Ms. Watts. I'm Dr. Lane and I'll check on you before seeing your release."

Dr. Lane was kind and chattered about her condition cheerfully, making Wade feel less awkward and tense about being in an IOI medical facility. It also allowed her to keep a discreet watch on Nolan, who stayed quiet, though his eyes were firmly on Wade the entire time.

"Alright! Your bloodwork seems good to go and your vitals are great," Dr. Lane noted. "You should be free to go, Ms. Watts. If you're feeling unwell though, come back in and we'll keep an eye on you to see if there was anything we missed. Goodbye, Ms. Watts, Mr. Sorrento," she added, turning toward her boss at the end.

She left them and then it was just Wade and Nolan again.

"Are you hungry?" he asked her, moving to help her off of the hospital bed.

"Yeah, I am," she replied, feeling her stomach ache for food.

"Would you come with me?" he asked hesitantly and she almost just stared at him. In person and knowing who he was, it was strange to see him hesitant. The idea of Nolan Sorrento being hesitant was absurd to anyone, and here he was being hesitant because of _her_.

"Thank you," she whispered, slipping off of the hospital bed and taking his offered hand.

He led her out of the medical facility and Wade felt how warm and large his hand was on hers, calluses rounding his fingers and rubbing against her softer skin. This felt dreamlike and she was almost sure she was dreaming.

Mentally shaking her head, she looked around and felt uneasy and strange as she realized she was inside IOI's headquarters, and very much where Nolan himself worked. She didn't know how she felt about that, considering how she (like most everyone) felt about IOI.

"Are you okay?" Nolan asked and she saw him watching her carefully.

"Physically, better than earlier," she said. But she admitted, "I'm a little weirded out to be inside IOI though. But there's you, so I'm not…I'm just a little uneasy."

He squeezed her hand. "I'm here, like you said. You'll be fine," he promised.

She gave him a tired smile and automatically moved closer to tuck herself into his side, before remembering where she was. She started to move away, but he just held her tightly against himself.

She felt comforted in a way she didn't think she'd needed. But after what happened, she thought maybe she did need this comfort and affection, though it was probably surprising to others to have it come from a man like Nolan.

They reached an elevator and she was quiet as he picked a higher floor, where he then headed with her to double doors that she realized led to a large office.

 _His_ office.

"Go ahead and sit down and I'll order up some food," he told her. "Nothing's open outside of the building, but the cafeteria here should have something. Or the food court. Anything specific you'd like?"

Wade shook her head. "I'm not really picky," she said softly. "I've…never really had much choice or variety in what I ate."

He pursed his lips and she couldn't read his face. She wondered what was going on in his head.

"Hold on a bit," he said and picked up his phone, speaking into it.

Too curious for her own good, she decided to look around his office. A part of her really just wanted to get to know this man who had become so close to her so quickly…

Plus, she was just a tiny bit nosy about him.

* * *

Nolan had ordered a light but filling breakfast on the phone, though he never took his eyes off of her. She was such a slight figure, looking like a small breeze could fly her off. He worried a bit, tempted to put some more weight on her, but knowing he couldn't just shove food on her and hope she'd be a little healthier than she was.

He also remembered her comment about her lack of choice in food and wanted to spoil her with food that would make her tastebuds sing. He wanted to spoil her in everything.

Watching her poke and prod around his things curiously, he continued to look over her. She had these huge round glasses that crowded her adorable face, hiding her beautiful jade green eyes that seemed almost magnified by those glasses. There was a rosy tint to her cheeks and her plump lips were slightly parted as she looked around in awe.

Her quiet gasp as she reached his bay windows overlooking the city made him smile, and he watched her travel towards the glass and lean up against it, gazing out of the windows in wonder.

"It's beautiful," he said, hanging up and walking towards her.

She glanced at him with a brief grin before looking back out. "It is," she remarked wistfully. "In the Stacks, everything is just crowded with junk and trash, and there's always someone looking to do something to someone."

"Like you?" he asked, frowning.

Wade quieted and moved away from the window, turning to him. Her eyes searched him wearily.

"The Stacks aren't a nice place," she declared and he knew that. Had always vaguely known that, even though he hadn't _really_ known or cared until Wade was a presence in his life and he knew she'd lived there. "People get harassed around there for all sorts of reasons."

She shrugged, wrapping her arms around herself. "It's not the first time someone's called me a slut or made lewd comments about me," she admitted and he felt fury flare up in him. "I've been called worse. I've never had someone forced alcohol or any sort of drug into me though."

She looked vulnerable and scared, and all he wanted was to pull her closer and hold her. So he did and she buried her face against his chest, one hand trembling and reaching up, clutching onto his shoulder.

"That was terrifying. So, so goddamn terrifying," she sniffled. "If it hadn't been for you…"

He didn't want to think about that.

She took a step back, rubbing at her face harshly. "It's not like I haven't been treated like shit by Rick or Aunt Alice before. This was just another incident and another'll happen again," Wade said bitterly.

"You don't have to go back," he refuted, saying immediately. He _couldn't_ let her go back into that-that-that despicable place! Absolutely not!

"I'm 17," she said in exhaustion, like that mattered.

"So?" his jaw clenched, looking at her incredulously.

She just gave him this sad little smile, like everything was hopeless and she was already resigned to it.

"I'm legally under Aunt Alice's 'guardianship,'" her shoulders slumped. "I can't leave her until I'm 18."

"That's bullshit," Nolan spat out. "The police —"

"Believe her and already know me, and just think I'm a liar and a troublemaker," she said, tone deadened. "I've run away before too, so they've got me marked down as a delinquent and a frequent runaway. If I run away again, they'll just find me and haul me back to her or to a juvenile center."

She held up her left arm, pointing to it. "They even placed a tracker. They do that these days, you know. If you're a known juvenile flight risk and in the foster system, they put trackers in you. If I don't come back in a day or two, play nice and cook them breakfast or dinner, Aunt Alice will probably call the police and have them track me down."

It was maddening as much as it was infuriating.

"It sounds like she doesn't even want you around!" he exclaimed, reaching out to grab her hand. "Why would your aunt care?"

"Wouldn't want to lose her extra vouchers," Wade said bitterly. "That's all I've ever been worth to her. Extra food vouchers."

"If I paid her —" he started, but Wade cut him off. "Don't!"

She squeezed his hand tightly, shaking her head. "God, don't. I _know_ my aunt and Rick. They'll just exploit you and then keep taking more and more money from you. I _refuse_ to ever let them know I know you."

He didn't _want_ her to protect _him_. He wanted to be able to protect her.

"I can weather this," she insisted, looking him straight in the eyes. "I can. It won't be long until I'm 18 and I'm gone."

"But who knows what can happen in that time," Nolan didn't even want to imagine it.

"Can't be any worse than what happened," she sighed, stepping into his space again. He put an arm around her. "I can handle it. Alice's had more violent boyfriends. A few of them had _horrible_ anger issues and I was always convenient for them to beat the shit out of."

He tensed at hearing that, but what was worse to him was the casual way she said it, like it didn't bother her or that it was normal.

"Rick's not the worse?" he asked and regretted it immediately.

For a moment, she was silent and he thought she wasn't going to answer.

"One time, one of Alice's old boyfriends was so angry he'd lost out to some tournament in the OASIS and I was unluckily in the path. Slapped me around, took a belt around my neck and started to choke me until I passed out."

That threw him off so bad that he jerked away from her, holding her at arm's length while examining her frantically, fingers snapping to her neck and tracing it.

"It's been some time and there's no leftover marks," she told him, but it wasn't assurance enough for him.

Nolan looked at her. "How bad has it been with Rick?" he asked firmly, not willing to let it go. He saw her hesitate and he ended up placing his hands on her shoulders, gripping tightly. "Wade."

"He's knocked me around some," she reluctantly said. She hesitated some more before he could see her visibly give up. "Do you…do you remember that night where I was really off and we ended up eating in the café and not having sex in the OASIS?"

He nodded, though he inwardly twitched at the reminder of the illicit affair he was having with her.

She licked her lips. "I was like that because earlier I had finally gone back to the trailer and Rick ambushed me. He was drunk and had tackled me to the ground, and he was hurting me and I tried fighting back, and it just —I mean, he managed to slam my head pretty hard on the floor a few times, so I admit I was kind of relieved we didn't have sex that night, what with my face still kind of aching even in the OASIS. And he was threatening to kill me and calling me names, but that's nothing new…It just made me feel horrible though and I tried so hard not to look like I did before meeting you, because I didn't want you to see me like that…"

Nolan felt fucking horrible. Yes, he'd noted her behavior and how she was feeling that night, and had adjusted their regular routine for something more comfortable for her…But now knowing why just made him want to go back in time and do his best to make her feel even better and then go after that bastard.

"Go back long enough that your aunt gets her fucking vouchers and then come back to me," he said suddenly, thinking it over. "Stay there as little as possible, enough that she gets those things, and then stay with me."

It wasn't perfect and there was still enough time for her to get hurt over there, but if he could somehow get the majority of her time, then there was less of a possibility…

"Vouchers aren't enough," she mumbled. "She's been angry and I think she and Rick have gotten into a lot of debt. Or she just hates me. Either way, she's been pushing me to get a job as an escort and get money back to her quick. I don't know what to do. I've been looking for a job, but I don't know where to go or how to get hired. I don't want to do what she wants, but I don't think I have a choice."

"No," he shook his head. "…Work for me," he suddenly thought up. "Work for IOI."

She balked, giving him a look.

"I know IOI's reputation," he said in frustration. "I know you're one of those that would rather the whole company goes up in flames. But I want to make sure you don't have to do those awful things and I want to make things easier on you. _For_ you."

"…What would I do?" she asked hesitantly.

"You can be my personal assistant," he said, mind continuing to just whirl with ideas, trying his best to come up with things to help her situation. "And no one will question why you're around me often."

She nibbled on her lower lip and he watched the action, wanting to take over and nibble at it himself. God, he was so fucking depraved. He was supposed to be helping her, but he wasn't able to just keep his mind clean of his want from her for just a damn second.

But he l —Fuck, but he fucking loved this girl.

Nolan was so fucked.

"I guess," she slowly said, agreeing with his offer. She smiled shyly at him, making his stomach twist into knots and heat to flush through him. "Yeah, I'd like that a lot. Are you really okay with it?"

"Yes," he breathed out and leaned in to kiss her dazedly, before he realized what he was going to do and stopped himself, redirecting to kiss the top of her head.

This wasn't the OASIS. There were no blurry lines regarding laws, no excuses to make about it happening only in the OASIS.

This was the real world and he had to keep his hands to himself, no matter how tempting she was to him.

 _God, he was so fucking fucked_.

* * *

As they ate breakfast, mood less serious as they lightly talked about things they could do in the OASIS, Wade was happy to see that they had the same chemistry as they did there. Maybe even better. They get along so well in the OASIS, but she didn't know if they would in the real world. Now she could safely say that they did.

Still, she wasn't oblivious. She had seen the look in his eyes earlier, and the way he had moved in to kiss her. That he had stopped himself and kissed her safely on top of her head.

Part of her felt insecure and wondered if it was because he wasn't as attracted to her now, as he had been in the OASIS. That real life couldn't measure up. Then there was the logical part of her that understood and remembered _Nolan was older than her and she_ _ **wasn't legal yet**_.

That they were face to face in real life and he was actually afraid to touch her.

She'd told him once that he was handsome in real life and she meant it. Looking in front of her now, he was obviously older than her, but he had lips that looked soft and plump and blue, blue, _blue_ eyes that looked luminescent and clear. His sandy blond hair was neatly made, if a little mussed from all his movement that morning. He was taller than her, so much so that every time she laid her head against his chest, she could hear, _feel_ his heartbeat against her ear.

Wade was definitely still attracted to him.

But she always had been, even without his looks. It reminded her that she should tell him about Lacero, like Q had suggested. Let Nolan know how she felt about him, but also about this other man she couldn't have helped getting attached to after everything. It made her worry about Nolan's reaction, but she didn't want to lie or keep things from him, like she originally had.

As he excused himself to a phone call, she saw her IM Interface Lacero had gotten her and idly picked it up. She turned it on and was about to scroll through it, when it opened up to the last thing that had been on, before she'd passed out.

Her message history.

Her voice activated her interface into vocal mode and translated her words into a voice message, sending it to Nolan. Only…it wasn't to Nolan.

Because the message was sent out to _Lacero_.

Wade glanced at Nolan, biting down on her lip hard. Her hands twisted around the hem of her shirt, before she glanced back down at her IM.

Did…did the two know each other?

Started 4/9/19 — Completed 8/3/19

 **A/n: Wow, last chapter got a huge response XD This fic usually doesn't? Thanks a lot everyone! I'm super excited to keep working on this. I hope everyone liked this chapter as well! Please remember to review and feed my starving soul~**

* * *

 **Anon Reviews:**

1\. Guest 1: Oops? Sorry for the cliffie, but it felt perfect to end right there. Then again, I seemed to have left it on another cliffhanger XD Glad you're sticking around though! I love, love, love this story. It's one of my favorites to write for! And thank you! The elements in that chapter were one of the original things that made me want to come up with this fic.

2\. Guest 2: Thanks a lot!


	10. If I Know You

Disclaimer: I enjoyed the Ready Player One movie, but I nowhere near own it.  
Story: Life outside the Oasis was horrible and no one knows that better than Wade. So if she found solace in a jerk like Nolan Sorrento, that's her luck. Nolan just finds himself caught up on her, even if it may come time to choose between her and IOI.  
Set as an AU genderbending fic.  
Spoilers: Yes, definitely for the movie, but I have started to slip in stuff from the book.  
Warnings: Age disparity, cursing and violence for now…hm, just in case since I'm usually writing it, bit of crazy humor, perverted humor, morbid or sarcastic humor, and maybe some sexual situations…  
Pairings: Nolan Sorrento/Wade Watts

 **The Cigarette Duet  
** _Chapter Ten: If I Know You_

They must've known each other. They had to. It was the only thing that made sense. Why else had Nolan come for her when Lacero was the one she'd messaged?

She watched him as he continued to talk on the phone, fiddling with her IM Interface. She thought about it and tried to make sense of it. She had so very clearly sent the message to Lacero. That meant the other was connected to Nolan somehow…

Hadn't Lacero once complained to her about dealing with "annoying old bastards that wouldn't get out of his hair?" It wouldn't be too out there to say that he could be attending board meetings, the very same ones that Nolan could be in at the same time. It could also make Lacero's prodding and questions about her opinion on Nolan a little less random, if he was asking about her opinion on his boss…And it would make sense on Lacero's secrecy about his work, if he worked in IOI and in a high position at that…

Did that mean they knew the other knew her and what she was to both of them? She didn't think Lacero would go to Nolan and ask him to help her, if he hadn't known Nolan knew her and cared for her , if they _did_ know what they were to her, made her hesitant and awkward, considering the different intimacies to their individual relationships and her own feelings for both of them…

Then again, if Lacero had asked Nolan for help, why hadn't he come himself? Was something wrong? Where was he? Did something happen to him? Was he stuck somewhere or hurt? Did he need her help —

"You look like your mind is crammed with thoughts," Nolan said, off of the phone finally and watching her curiously.

"Do you know Lacero?" she blurted out.

She could see how that made him pause and how his pretty, pretty _blue_ eyes widened and knew she'd gotten her confirmation just from that.

"Lacero? I know…him," he said slowly and she froze.

 _She_ knew Nolan.

The way he shifted slightly, the way his captivating blues looked away from her, the way he swallowed slowly…

She knew him and knew he was lying.

Wade was angry and upset. Why would he lie to her? This didn't make sense anymore and the idea that he would lie to her after everything made her want to cry and shout at him, shove at him and demand the truth.

She wanted answers. She wanted him to tell her the truth and why he'd lied. If he didn't know Lacero, why did he say he did? Why was he there, what was he doing with her?

Was he just playing with her? Was this some kind of sick game? She should've known. After all, what was someone like Nolan doing being with her? There had always been this voice in the back of her head, sounding just like Aunt Alice, calling her a _stupid, pathetic, naive girl_.

 _Why would a rich, handsome man like Nolan be with her but to amuse himself and entertain himself with her for the moment?_

It whispered things like that and made her want to clamp her hands over her ears. It always lingered, just there in her head, always making disdainful remarks about Wade and bringing her to lows.

She had never been able to avoid that voice, in the real world or in her dreams, and not even in the OASIS.

"Wade, darling, are you okay?" his voice cut through her thoughts and she looked at him.

He looked and sounded so, so worried and tender, and it was all for her.

Wade took a deep breath and focused on not spiraling down, like her emotions were dragging her to. She made herself remember that Nolan had, for some reason and above all, cared enough to rush towards where she was to help her. That he had been helping and caring for her since then, and that he hadn't been anything _but_ sincere and wanting to help her. That he still was right now.

His lovely blues were watching her and she gave him a trembling smile.

She walked towards him and pushed him back towards his chair, clambering on top of him and straddling him. His hands shot up and went to stop her, but she firmly pushed them away and settled on his lap decisively. She lay her head against his chest, resting her ear against it and hearing and feeling the sound of his heart thumping against his chest in a loud rhythm. His hands, failing to stop her, hovered around in the air for a moment, before moving to embrace her to him. She grabbed one of his wrists and let her hand hang it down by their sides, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath and inhaled, smelling his scent and memorizing it.

"Do you work with Lacero?" she whispered.

"…I work with him occasionally," he said, his heart skipping a beat. _Lie_.

She bit down on her lip.

"Did he tell you about me and ask for your help?…Does he know about us?"

"He did….and he does," another lie.

She listened to his heart for a few moments, feeling his arm tighten around her while his wrist moved from her grasp to instead hold her hand in his. She blinked back tears.

"Do you care for me?" She'd said it so low, she wondered if she had said it at all.

His heart stuttered before relaxing. He squeezed her and moved back to look at her, his beautiful eyes looking so damn sweet at her, it made her ache with longing and tenderness.

Then he brought his other arm up and then she was being picked up and placed onto his desk. He took her chin in hand and gave her a pained look.

"Wade, I care for you so fucking much I would kill Rick for you," and he sounded and looked so damn sincere.

She didn't know why he lied about Lacero or what their true connection was. All she knew was that he was honest about his feelings for her and always had been, had never shown her that he didn't care for her.

From the moment he'd first cared for her, he had done nothing but care.

All her life, Aunt Alice had told her no one would care or love a worthless girl like her, but here was Nolan Sorrento who was saying otherwise.

She did know Nolan and knew that at the very least she could trust in him and his feelings.

So she would wait for him to tell the truth, when he was ready to tell her, and wouldn't push him until then. She could wait patiently for Nolan, and until then she wouldn't ask him again.

Nolan saved her and has been saving her all this time. It was the least she could do.

* * *

When Wade had asked him about Lacero, he'd nearly had a panic attack there and then. He didn't know how she'd figured out there was a connection, but he'd panicked and hadn't known what to say.

Part of him almost admitted to the truth. He'd wanted to.

Instead, he'd lied and continued to separate the two of them like they were two different people. He knew Wade was still hurting after what that bastard Rick had done and how her aunt had been pushing her, and after her whole life being one shitty mess.

This would be just one more issue to pile on her after everything and he didn't want to push her anymore. This would be a conversation for another day and when she wasn't about to fall apart and _he_ wasn't becoming a mess trying his best to keep her together and be a good man for her.

There was also that he was still a bit attached to being Lacero, someone she was endeared to and was comfortable with. She and Nolan were still on unsteady, uncertain grounds, but when it came to Lacero, he was her confidant and friend —someone she had had an easy camaraderie from the start and whom she had a different intimacy with than the one she had with Nolan. In some ways, she and 'Lacero' were closer than Nolan was to her.

He would eventually tell her the truth, he swore it, but tonight wasn't that night.

"I care for him," she said softly, looking at him hesitantly under her lashes. "Lacero is…I care for him a lot. I have feelings for him."

It made his stomach twist into knots and ache for her and want to tell her he cared for her too. But he couldn't.

He wasn't _Lacero_.

It made him want to tell her, but he couldn't be selfish. All he could do was give her time and be there.

"I have feelings for you too," she confessed, nibbling on her lip and watching him uneasily. "I like you so much, even though I know that you could have anyone and I'm just some silly, pathetic girl who should've never caught your attention. There's always this voice in my head that says I'm not good enough and that you don't really care about me and just looking for entertainment until you get bored with me."

He hated Wade's aunt. There was something seriously wrong with that woman and he wished he could just get rid of her. But doing that wouldn't get rid of Wade's problems, no matter how much he wished it did. Besides, there would never be a quick fix to Wade's issues and he knew that.

Nolan cupped her face, clenching his jaw. He debated with himself, keeping himself so still as he stared into her eyes and wanting to grab those awful glasses and throw them away.

He loved her eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, Wade," he told her gently. "As for Lacero," he gave her a pained smile. "…I know. It's okay. I'm here. I'll always be here."

And Nolan kissed her, wanting her to feel everything he felt and promised in that kiss.

She was hurting and he wanted to and would do all he could to make sure she wouldn't hurt any more.

He told her, "Don't be afraid," and then picked her up, letting her wrap herself around him and then heading over to his wall, pressing up against it and unlocking a section that he pushed aside. He went inside the attached bedroom to his office and headed to his bed, where he lay her down before joining her. He pulled her back to him and curved his front against her back, holding onto her and feeling her small hands reach for his wrists and hold on tightly. He bent his head and buried his nose against her hair, inhaling her scent and committing it to memory.

"I'll wait for you, Wade," he murmured..

He's made so many mistakes, even with her, and he'll probably keep making mistakes.

But he could give her all the time in the world and keep piecing her together with faulty hands.

* * *

The next morning, Wade woke up and had somehow turned towards Nolan in her sleep. His arms were still around her, and she traced over his face with her eyes and wondered about this man that somehow came into her life.

"Good morning," he said tiredly, still not opening his eyes.

"Morning," she said softly, reaching up and barely touching his face with her hand.

He slowly opened his eyes and his lips twitched up. "What do you feel like doing today?"

"I don't know. Don't you have work?" she asked.

"Don't care. I'm physically here," he grumbled. "Let's do something."

"Like what?"

He smiled crookedly. "I have an idea. We have to log into the OASIS though."

Curious now, she let him lead her off the bed and head towards the giant haptic feedback unit in his office.

"I don't have a suit," she pointed out but he waved it off, and gestured towards his couches, where there was a X1 bootsuit laid out.

"Should be your size," he said casually. "I had F'Nale bring one earlier, when I woke up briefly. F'Nale is my…second in command, you could say. I'll have you two meet later."

"Okay," she said, wondering about this F'Nale. Would she have something to say about Wade or would they even get along? She hoped so. She didn't want to cause problems for Nolan.

"Put it on," Nolan said. "I'll put mine on over here."

She nodded distractedly, putting it on and noting it fit well enough on her. It was just a bit loose, but not enough to be unfit for her use. When she turned around, she saw Nolan had just finished as well and had turned to her.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Sure," she said, even as she wondered how they were going to use his feedback unit.

She watched him mess with the attached wires, pulling some out and adjusting things, and then he was sitting down and holding out his hand to hers. Confused, she came over and let him sit her on his lap and he kind of turned towards her while attaching a few of the wires to her suit.

"There's extra cables to manually attach to another bootsuit in here," he explained. "It'll still be cramped, since it's not really meant to seat two, but I thought we could share the seat instead of extracting the cables farther out and having you sit on the ground or something. I'll make sure to have an arm chair or another OASIS seat installed for next time."

"Oh," she said flustered. "You don't have to do that." Although the thought of being on his lap this whole time flustered her more and yet just a tinged happy to be so close to him.

"Don't worry about it," he said and then he hugged her.

"You mean the world to me, Wade. And you _deserve_ the world."

It tempted her to say the same back to him, when she hesitated because she knew the truth.

Nolan _did_ want the world and no matter how much she cared about him or he her…

That truth hadn't changed.

Started 8/16/19 — Completed 8/18/19

 **A/n: Oooh my god! I had like most of this chapter done and then my computer sort of glitched on me or something, and I freaking lost everything I wrote (cries). Like I wrote the first version within 2 days and the new one in 1to make up for the loss. Sooo…this is for you guys XD Just so you know I love y'all!**

* * *

 **Anon Reviews:**

1\. Shiranai Atsune: Haha, and hopefully more updates to go! Thanks for enjoying!


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